On the first Friday in October hundreds of people, most of them in their teens and early 20s, lined up at Terminal 5 to see California band The Neighbourhood. Those in the front of the line had been there since before 10 a.m., unusual for such a small venue, and masses of fans had travelled despite the threat of flood and hurricane warnings. Amanda and I had already walked blocks through torrential downpour to reach the venue and were shocked by the number of fans who had already found their way through the wind and rain and were waiting in a line that nearly circled the venue. When doors opened, fans streamed into Terminal 5, wet and chilly, but with undamped excitement to see The Neighbourhood and their two opening acts: Hunny and Bad Suns.

Hunny, an up-and-coming band with a new EP coming out, opened the show with colorful alt-rock. For such a new band, and as the first of two openers, they elicited a surprisingly enthusiastic response from the crowd, striking a balance between heavy rock and the brighter influences that shone through in some of their songs.

Next up was Bad Suns, who brought energy and dance rock to the performance. The stand out was frontman Christo Bowman, whose natural showmanship and charisma elevated the set into a full blown performance.

Bad Suns was rhythmic and beat heavy, with the addition of synth and energetic guitar riffs, alongside compelling vocals. It was obvious that their goal on stage was to give the audience a good time. Bowman was energetic in his performance and interaction with the audience, at one point even going into the crowd. They achieved their goal; by the middle of the set the whole crowd was into it, energized and uplifted for the next set.

The Neighbourhood -- or the NBHD as they are sometimes called; they enjoy acronyms -- took the stage around 9:45 p.m. in a cloud of smoke courtesy of fog machines and the glow of the LED graphics screen behind them. They launched right into "W.D.Y.W.F.M? (What Do You Want From Me?)" which sent the crowd screaming and singing along to the lyrics. The band wasted no time getting into the performance, with singer Jesse Rutherford seemingly giving his whole body into it.

The NBHD’s music is bursting with strong bass lines and guitar riffs. The beats can be slow and methodical at times, but it doesn’t take away from the music, rather it lends the spotlight to vocals and the lyrics of the song. Rutherford's vocals are almost lazy and woozy sounding, maybe an influence of the band's California roots. This sound enhances the almost rap-like beats and pacing into a unique style of indie-rock.

Another aspect of the impressive performance was the style of the show. As a band, the NBHD has a monochromatic theme, with exclusively black and white graphics. The lighting and the graphics on the screen behind them intensified their performance, especially near the end of the show when the band left Rutherford alone on stage to perform by himself. The band returned to finish with their hit "Sweater Weather" and their new single "R.I.P. 2 My Youth," leaving the audience with some California sound to take back into the East Coast weather.

All photos by Amanda Choy