The Neighbourhood thrives in indie, pop rock worlds

The Neighbourhood is the latest act to show that indie rock and pop rock have plenty in common.

The Los Angeles-based act not only reached No. 1 on the rock charts with its hit single “Sweater Weather,” but also managed to hit No. 14 on the Hot 100, a sure sign of success.

That song helped cement the group’s fan base, showcasing its moody mix of evocative vocals, atmospheric R&B and straightforward pop rock. Its latest album, “Wiped Out,” was a top 20 hit upon its release last year.

Now the band is on the road, touring behind that disc. It will play the Showbox SoDo in Seattle at 8 tonight, May 6.

Tickets are $30.75 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.

Long-running prog rock act Dream Theater also is heading to Seattle, playing the Paramount Theatre at 7:30 p.m. May 11.

The group is touring behind its 13th album, “The Astonishing,” a sci-fi concept album that hit No. 11 on the Billboard 200 earlier this year.

The group got its start in the mid-1980s and quickly gained a following with its expansive, guitar-fueled sound and elaborate song arrangements. That pairing has given the band a fervent, cult-like following.

Despite the act’s technical expertise, it is not a studio band. Instead, its live shows are legendary — some have been showcased on concert albums, while countless others are preserved on fan bootlegs. In short, every show is a major event for the group’s fans.

Tickets are $31.25 to $66.75 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.

Tech N9ne, the unlikely success story out of Kansas City, Missouri, also is playing Seattle’s Showbox SoDo at 8 p.m. May 8.

Tech N9ne got his start in the 1990s as an underground sensation, with his explicit and violent lyrics making him a staple on horrorcore, a subgenre in rap.

Since then, his fan base has grown by leaps and bounds, with his parental-advisory-ready albums now frequently landing near the top of the charts. He’s touring after the November release of “The Strangeulation, Vol. II.”

Tickets are $27 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.

The WaMu Theatre, meanwhile, will host a major trance music festival, Bliss: The Awakening, featuring some of the genre’s biggest names, at 6:30 p.m. May 7.

Trance is a brand of electronica known for its dreamy, rave-friendly sound. Bliss will include a long list of acts, most notably Paul Oakenfeld. The famed DJ served as an early pioneer of electronica in the 1980s, crossing over into the mainstream with songs like “Starry Eyed Surprise” in the decades that followed.

Other big names on the bill include John O’Callaghan, Giuseppe Ottaviani and Marlo.

Tickets are $47 at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.

A string of shows at the Neptune Theatre will also keep that Seattle spot busy.

First up is a visit from Mayer Hawthorne, the Motown-aping performer from Ann Arbor, Mich. He plays the spot at 8 p.m. May 10.

Hawthorne’s ability to channel classic 1960s sounds have won him praise. He’s touring behind his latest disc, “Man About Town,” which saw release in April. Tickets are $23.35 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.

Then Lucius will roll into the Neptune at 8 p.m. May 11.

The Brooklyn-based indie pop act is led by the well-paired vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig. The act just released its mainstream-ready sophomore album “Good Grief” in March. Tickets are $16.50 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.

Finally, local born favorite Damien Jurado will play the Neptune at 8 p.m. May 12.

The skilled singer-songwriter has been operating on the fringes of the mainstream for decades, playing in punk bands in the late 1980s, before releasing his own genre-hopping albums in the years that followed, drawing on everything from acoustic ballads to electronica-dabbling rock.

He’s touring behind his latest widely praised album, “Visions of Us On the Land,” which came out in March.

Tickets are $17 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.

And Motion City Soundtrack is heading to Seattle on what is being billed as its final tour. The group will headline the Showbox at 8 tonight, May 6. The long-running emo pop act is touring behind September’s “Panic Stations,” which the band is billing as its swan song.

Tickets are $30 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.