The Neighbourhood
O2 Brixton Academy // London, England // 30 January 2019
Photos and review by Rachael Dowd
Hot off of the release of their album, Hard To Imagine The Neighbourhood Ever Changing, that was released this past November, The Neighbourhood returned to London last week to a roaring crowd at the O2 Academy Brixton. Opening up the set with “How,” off of 2013’s I Love You., the American rock band were greeted by a sea of people who had been long awaiting for the band’s return to the UK.
With a twenty song set, The Neighbourhood recreated tracks that spanned nearly their entire discography, including new songs off of Hard To Imagine The Neighbourhood Ever Changing like “24/7,” “Void” and “Blue.”
Frontman Jesse Rutherford captivated the audience the moment he appeared on stage, his distinct and crisp vocals ringing throughout the whole venue, his performance proving why he is one of the most buzzed-about frontmen in rock music. Displaying charisma that many other frontmen often lack, Rutherford is able to connect with fans with a single look, a look that often leaves fans ecstatically screaming in response. Throughout the whole night, he appeared to be as into the music as those in the audience, working every inch of the stage with a smile on his face.
Offering a different dynamic to the show, Rutherford took moments in the set to swing around the whole stage on a chained bungee cord with a microphone attached to the end, an acrobatic performance that is not often seen, or perhaps has never been seen, in rock music.
Amongst new tracks, The Neighbourhood incorporated fan favourite songs into their set including “Afraid,” “Sweater Weather” and “Daddy Issues,” three of their most streamed tracks on Spotify. “Afraid” left the fans singing over Rutherford in the chorus, the frontman putting his microphone out for them to sing along, the catchy lyrics leaving every head in the audience bopping along and every voice screaming the lyrics.
London fans were also treated to the band’s first ever live performance “Beat Take 1,” a song off of their latest album that features Ghostface Killah. The track, while different from anything the else The Neighbourhood has put out before, shows the rock band’s ability to incorporate different genre influences into their music, offering a collaboration that is strong lyrically and adds a particularly stand out moment both on the album and during their live set.
Closing out the night with “Stuck With Me,” The Neighbourhood’s energetic performance proved once again as to why they are still one of the biggest bands in rock music right now. Amongst the diehard screaming fans who sing along to every word with passion and admiration and the unpredictability of frontman Rutherford and his antics onstage, The Neighbourhood put on a strong performance that shows their ability to entertain a crowd no matter where in the world they may be. With a set that perfectly showcased their musical evolution over the years, this is a band definitely worth seeing when they come to your city.
