Reviewed on Thursday December 10
It was hard not to feel the love when Hackney exports Rudimental took the stage. With positively bonkers energy and two albums’ worth of material, the drum’n’bass juggernaut have a big sound, big heart and big presence. It’s easy to see why Ed Sheeran wanted them to support his Australian tour.
Sydney-based Ben Markos, under the groovemaker guise of GRMM, opened the show. Armed with the sinuous electronic and hip hop beats from his latest EP Die Young, he quickly had the crowd limbered and loose. Guest performances by singers Thandi Phoenix and Ric Rufio on ‘Gold’ and ‘Level Up’ only heightened the excitement.
The Rudimental ten-piece family exploded onstage half an hour behind schedule. Leading the charge was DJ “Sydney make some noise” Locksmith, Amir Amor, Piers Agget and Kesi Dryden. Also in tow were vocalists Anne-Marie Nicholson, Bridgette Amofah, Will Heard, and the cheekily nicknamed ‘Tom Jones’ who were all more than capable for filling in for the likes of John Newman and Emeli Sandé, making this a killer concert.
It was half expected that Sheeran would make an unannounced appearance for ‘Lay It All On Me’ or ‘Bloodstream’, but no dice. Not that the audience cared. Standouts of the night included the funk-injected duet ‘Rumour Mill’, and ‘I Will For Love’ brought on seismic waves through the crowd that had the floor worryingly wobbling. ‘Feel The Love’ had the throng mirroring the onstage emotion by forming hearts with their hands.
And yet for all the skill, passion and energy, there were a number of tracks that felt a little lacking, a bit underdone. It’s hard to put a finger on why exactly. Perhaps it’s that ‘Go Far’ is unabating in its repetition, or that the lyrics of ‘Love Ain’t Just A Word’ have as much nuance as a motivational poster quote. Yet throughout it all, it was clear that Rudimental were having a ball. From the ‘Right Here’ start to the ‘Waiting All Night’ finish, there were hyperkinetic performances all round.
