REVIEW: The Neighbourhood @ House of Blues 10/02

By Christian Jaeger

California pop rock band The Neighbourhood brought a taste of the West Coast to Boston’s House of Blues on Tuesday, October 2.

If there’s one word to describe The NBHD, it’s “dynamic.” Each album has a refreshing new sound and each tour an unfamiliar look. The constants: the energy, color, and love visible from each band member, especially from the wildly outgoing and exceptional frontman Jesse Rutherford.  

The group’s self-titled fourth album was released in March of 2018, and it had some pretty big shoes to fill. I Love You., the Neighbourhood’s powerhouse first album, was a bold entry into the industry with tracks such as “Afraid,” “Female Robbery,” and the beloved singalong “Sweater Weather.”

#OOOOOO & #FFFFFF, the band’s second full length album–though The Neighbourhood prefers the term “mixtape”–explores heavier rap themes and features artists G-Eazy, YG, and French Montana, to name a few.

If California could be a record, it would sound a lot like Wiped Out!, the band’s third full-length album. The LP includes fan favorites “Prey,” “Daddy Issues,” and “R.I.P. 2 My Youth,” which all succeed in taking listeners straight to the beach with the power of an album.

The Neighbourhood, their fourth and most recent LP, lives up to all prior work in their collection and adds a brand new side to the band. Technically, The Neighbourhood offers a more dark and electric sound than we’ve heard, including titles “Scary Love,” “Void,” and “Softcore,” the latter two attributing vintage characteristics from ‘80s synth-pop.

Igniting the stage at approximately 9 p.m., the group would pay tribute to all four albums–four completely different flavors. The Neighbourhood opened with the powerfully grim and reflective “How,” filling the room with darkness and mystery. Following was “R.I.P. 2 My Youth,” an anthem and favorite among the crowd.

Once lead singer Rutherford captured enough energy from the bustling crowd, about four or five songs in, he ripped off his shirt to reveal a chiseled, tattooed chest. In this single moment, Rutherford gained a tremendous amount of energy that would last him throughout the show (and, yes, the shirt would remain off).

The transition from the darker tracks of the first two albums into the beachy favorites of Wiped Out! would take place about a third of the way through the performance. “Prey” and “Cry Baby” had the crowd in a continuous harmony and motion, but the real magic was apparent during “Daddy Issues,” an arguable favorite from Wiped Out!

The final third of the show would focus on their self-titled album, including the heavily produced and electric “Softcore,” “Scary Love,” and the differently acoustic “Sadderdaze.”

In their final moments on stage, the Neighbourhood performed “Sweater Weather,” resulting in one of the most epic singalongs in recent memory; the gratitude of this beautiful moment was evident on each member’s face. Closing with the vibrant and ever-so-catchy “Stuck with Me,” one of the strongest tracks on The Neighbourhood, would prove to be a memorable punch of an ending.

These five members–Rutherford, Zachary Abels, Michael Margott, Jeremy Freedman, and Brandon Alexander Fried–are killing the game, and they’re having a hell of a time doing it. Many bands struggle with exploring new sounds and taking risks, problems that the Neighbourhood is nowhere near familiar with.

Perhaps the best moment was when Rutherford swung across the stage, gripping the chain-encompassed, vintage 1950s microphone that hung from the ceiling. It’s amazing to watch this man prance with such exuberance, such ownership; words do not capture the confidence and physical power displayed when he struts in a fully packed house with his mates shredding only feet behind him.