The Rubens - Review

Reviewed by Regina Su
It was a chilly May evening when I found myself meandering down the streets of Newtown and Enmore toward the Enmore Theatre. This weekend's treat- The Rubens with Walk The Moon and other Triple J artists as support. What a fantastic night of music it was! The Enmore was the perfect palace for an event such as this, accommodating to all ages with a sold out floor for the last night of their tour. In the mosh pit, the crowd goes nuts and jumps to the same beat, moves to the same felt rhythm, so even if you didn't feel like dancing, the floorboards shifted under you and you were consumed by the monster that is concert moshing. This concert's only difference- everyone was getting in the mood, there was no reluctance here.

The first support act Bloods bathed the restless crowd in straight rock/ indie-punk to start the night- a local band with so much potential and raucous power, they definitely have a grand future ahead of them. Following Bloods came Walk The Moon-

Walk The Moon supported The Rubens as a fantastic band to gear up the crowd. They were interactive and engaging, explaining their origins as being from Ohio, USA and this made them all the more interesting. The band donned war paint before marching on stage and presented their sounds to us with such energy, enthusiasms and vigor- the audience went wild. Sounding slightly less electronic than Two Door Cinema Club, the band filled the pop-Rock genre with tunes you're guaranteed to have heard from television advertisements. A great band with energy taking the world by storm, both the real world and the virtual world with their recent hits like 'Tightrope' and *** ghosttown becoming YouTube famous.

In due time, The Rubens graced the stage. The audience nearly melted into a puddle of their own tears as by now, the crowd were getting restless and were occasionally being teased with random cameos by the band members during set-up. Even without strobe lights, the tension was enough to slice the air. Finally, The Rubens opened with 'The Day You Went Away' and their signature drum beat and electric guitars and keyboards appeased the crowd. A solid pop-rock band, these guys came out of the Western Suburbs rising to fame through Triple J and so on their home ground, the crowd couldn't get enough. The played through their self titled album, an album that ran #1 in the iTunes albums and #3 on the ARIA album chart. They then performes two songs not from this album as well as treating us to a new track- 'Cut Me Loose' (which did not disappoint) from their upcoming album. For new listeners, The Rubens sound like a soft version of The Black Keys, creating a nice fusion of 60's Rock and contemporary pop-rock. They have a distinctive sound that is solid, comfortable and successful, as well as tapping into a variety of moods and atmosopheres by playing with the limits of tempo and traditional instruments. For new listeners, I recommend 'The Best We've Got' for a good representation of their sound, otherwise go straight for the tune which pushed them headfirst into the spotlight- 'Lay It Down'. The night ended with 'My Gun', a crowd favourite and we were left satisfied, although not completely fulfilled by the night's experience; there's always room for more good music.