Reviewed onThursday February 2 (photo by Ashley Mar)
It’s been just over a year since The Rubens took out the coveted triple j Hottest 100 title with ‘Hoops’. It would have been easy for them to fade out in that time, especially given how meteoric their rise in Australian music seemed (they formed in 2011, just three brothers and a childhood friend). Lead singer Sam Margin explained it best when he said he’d been working in hospitality in 2012 when they won triple j Unearthed, and it changed their lives.
But the question mark over The Rubens has long remained: can they sustain their popularity and avoid the trap of producing a one-dimensional ‘indie’ sound? So far, they’ve been cornered in the triple j market; the station has been known for supporting a homogenous roster of bands.
If you haven’t seen them live, know that Margin’s voice takes on its own dimensions in person, particularly on newer releases like ‘The Night is On My Side’ and ‘Bitter End’. The Rubens also treated the crowd to a cover of Chance The Rapper’s ‘Same Drugs’, which could have gone very poorly for a blues-heavy indie rock band, but it just brought a new, funereal dimension to the track.
It also helped explain why they’d entered the stage to heavy hip hop – clearly this has been an influence for them lately. It’s about time for a new release, and from the taster we heard tonight, it seems like hip hop is going to have a presence in the latest revision of their sound.
One thing that is hard to avoid with The Rubens is their bashful charm. Sections of the listening public might find it easy to hate a band that has enjoyed such quickfire success, but these guys seem so genuinely grateful it’s hard to dislike them. At one point, Margin even offered a shout-out to their grandmother.
The combination of charm and hard work is going to continue to pay off for The Rubens. I’ll even forgive them for closing with ‘Hallelujah’, a grating blemish on their otherwise solid discography.
