The Rubens make their Singapore debut
By Rahimah Rashith, photos by Nicole Yeo
The year whistled off on the right note with The Rubens making their Singapore debut at Home Club on 9th January. The Australian band comprising of brothers Zaac, Elliot and Sam Margin, together with childhood best friend Scott Baldwin have been creating buzz across festivals and clubs throughout the world.
Their recent Asian tour includes Taiwan’s Simple Life Festival and Cockenflap in Hong Kong and now they’ve set foot in Singapore.
The boys embraced a casual vibe as they sat around in Home Club with fans and people ready to have a great night before the concert started. When the gig officially took off, they took their sweet smiles and beer up on stage. It was a cozy, intimate atmosphere when the band started playing the first song Best We’ve Got from their self-titled album ‘The Rubens’.
Now it became immediately apparent why the boys were loved so fast. The keyboard’s gentle introduction melded so seamlessly into a funkier groove with the guitars that came in seconds after lead singer Sam Margin took off with a deep crooning voice. The energy from his voice pierced the room and it was infectious. The first song got audience grooving and moving on the dance floor already.
Next the indie band took us through a slower jam, Be Gone. Music revelers bopped their heads and swayed along as did the band while Sam belts out his inner turmoil in the girl about girls before taking a sip or two from his mug of beer. They picked up some momentum for the next song, Elvis. The keyboard took a mild step back while the drums beefed up the soundscape, giving the song a distinctive beat.
The nostalgic yet energetic vibe of their melody was matched perfectly with Sam’s deep voice. The band’s strong hook gets evident here when they sing the chorus “It gets easier to love you” and some girls started squealing upfront.
As the cozy crowd wound down, the music got heated up. The band then moved on to their most popular hit yet, My Gun. The blues-and-soul ramped up with a rock ‘n’ roll number defined the band’s distinctive sound. Fans loved the thunderous drums and guitar that lifted the room.
The band wrapped up with an equally upbeat number Don’t Ever Want To Be Found. The groovy guitar sound did great justice this gritty, heartbreak piece. By this time, fans were already dancing on their feet. When they finally came off stage, fans were then treated to photo taking sessions with the band as they stayed on to just chill out at the club. Safe to say, everyone there would agree, this band is on its way to make a big name in the music scene.
The Rubens was formed in 2011 from the suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Since then they have already been hotly tipped as “the next big things” after winning the coveted title of leading alternative radio station, Triple J’s ‘Unearthed’ competition as Artist of the Year. They have since recorded an album with David Kahne who have also produced for The Strokes, Lana Del Rey and Regina Spektor among other famous names.
After the brief Singapore stop, they headed to KL, Malaysia to open for The Vaccines. With their groovy, addictive energy, i’m pretty sure they will soon return to Singapore as a bigger gig.
