Through its three-plus years as a band, SoCal-based five-piece the Neighbourhood has been coined an indie rock band, most famous for breezy West Coast love song “Sweater Weather.”  But if Saturday night’s concert at South Side Ballroom in Dallas was any indication, the band seems to be tiring of that label. 

Riding on the release of a hip-hop leaning mix tape earlier this summer (#000000 & #FFFFFF), the Neighbourhood lead singer Jesse Rutherford led the near-capacity crowd like a rapper, commanding all hands in the air and making props out of the seemingly endless supply of bras thrown on stage.  But as the strobe lights pulsated and Rutherford’s black long-sleeve shirt turned increasingly sweaty and torso-defining throughout the show, the Neighbourhood often skirted the borders of emo and goth rock. 

Saturday night’s lineup as a whole was commendably diverse.  Los Angeles beach rockers White Arrows immediately set the tone with an upbeat blend of electro-pop and psych rock.  The band’s stage presence has come a long way since playing the former La Grange in Deep Ellum in 2012, and its energy matched the size of this much bigger venue.  Front man Mickey Schiff’s candor helped. 

Houston rapper Travis Scott stands on top of the concert rail while performing in concert on Saturday, July 19, 2014 at the South Side Music Hall in Dallas.  The headlining act was indie rock group The Neighbourhood. 

“This song is about being a whore,” he said while sporting purple wig before the hitting the first notes of “Get Gone” off White Arrows’ debut release.  Schiff would remain in costume through the closing dance tune “City Boy,” which left concert attendees buzzing for more. 

And following act Travis Scott would deliver.  After Scott’s hype man and DJ spent some time revving up the crowd, the Houston-bred rapper, who’s been dubbed Kanye West’s “protégé,” hit the stage with a cadence of trigger-happy samples.  He trashed about in a camo hoodie, rapping the first half of every sentence during songs like “Quintana,” before the fans would finish the line.  Scott eased out of his set with the mellow “Hell of a Night,” but not without a shout out to the Dallas Cowboys. 

By the time the lights fell to welcome the headliners, space near the front of the stage was impenetrable, and some sharp-tongued gatekeepers were adamant about boxing others out.  But being forced to the back viewing area worked to my advantage – one of the better parts of the Neighourhood’s set was its accompanying light and video show. 

Strobe lights dominated the first couple songs — “Female Robbery” and “Everybody’s Watching Me” — giving way to artfully constructed black and white clips of Betty Boop, female silhouettes vivacious flipping their hair and couples getting intimate.  Most memorable was a mash up of clips from Disney classics like Alice in Wonderland and Hocus Pocus. 

Musically, the Neighbourhood plateaued mid-set, as each sequential song seemed to be an extension of the last, from “Wires” to “West Coast” to “Let It Go.”  Rutherford undoubtedly has a strong and dynamic voice, but he seemed to copy a vocal arc-and-dip format across every tune. ( This pattern is present on recordings, as well.)  Nonetheless, the energy in the venue remained at peak through encore tracks “How” and “Afraid.” 

The Neighbourhood’s mix tape is an interesting progression from 2013’s debut full-length, I Love You.  If the band continues to explore its stylistic boundaries, it could remain one to keep on your radar. 

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