The Neighbourhood is a band that has been around for a long time but has continually evolved its sound to fit new demographics and a new audience. While this has polarised some fans at points, it mattered little as they sold out two nights at the Hordern Pavilion on their world tour. Returning to Sydney for the first time since 2013, the band played a huge 24 song setlist, showing off the breadth of their discography across a wide range of albums and the anticipation for the band’s return was evident from the moment they took the stage with the sold out crowd ready to embrace every era of their career.

While their new work had a lot of love in the setlist, especially at the start of the show, there was also room for some of the band’s older work, with “Reflections” proving an early highlight. Frontman Jesse Rutherford commanded the stage throughout the night, moving gracefully around the stage as he captivated the packed Hordern Pavilion, which is always buzzing when it is sold out even if it feels like it is perhaps overfull (largely because the seats end up half full and the mosh pit is packed). The crowd was ravenous and Rutherford responded with an energetic performance that felt truly engaging, with the singer varying his vocal tone to represent the different eras of the band. It did sound like there was a little too much auto-tune at times but this was also stylistic to some degree (although definitely overwrought in parts).

While the first part of the set featured quite a few songs from the band’s newer work, they still made time for older favourites, with “Afraid” another standout alongside “You Get Me So High”. The production remained understated throughout, allowing the music and performances to take centre stage rather than relying on elaborate visuals, which was appreciated by the fans.

For the second part of the set, the band performed some ballads with “Baby Came Home 2” proving a beautiful and emotionally poignant moment before “Daddy Issues” had everyone on their feet and dancing. “Private” followed and was one of the stronger songs from the new album, reflecting the evolution in style and it seemed like the audience appreciated every era, with the balance between intimate moments and high-energy anthems giving the performance a natural flow that never allowed the momentum to fade.

The band closed with an encore of “Stargazing” and their smash hit “Sweater Weather”, which had camera phones lighting up the venue as the audience embraced the moment before the band moved on to “Prey” which was a crowd request that wasn’t on the printed setlist but was definitely well received. They then closed out the night with “Softcore”, which was a fitting conclusion to a set that celebrated the many different eras of the band.

The band didn’t interact too much with the audience, instead focusing on the songs, which was generally fine however, it did cause some issues when the crowd, which was packed to the brim and perhaps too much so for the Hordern’s realistic capacity, had a number of safety concerns, with people putting their torchlights on in the mosh pit. It possibly would have been nice if the band had stopped to acknowledge this but with that said, the venue managed the situation quite well and security did an excellent job at promptly assisting concertgoers.

Overall, this was a strong show with the band’s musicality being excellent throughout as they showcased the breadth of their catalogue. While their evolution has polarised, this was an ode to all of their fans along for the ride and for that, it was a wonderful night out at the Hordern Pavilion.

Rating: ★★★★

The Neighbourhood – 7 July 2026 – Hordern Pavillion