The last time RÜFÜS played HQ in Adelaide, it was hands down one of the best live shows I’d seen that year. To see that the trio was coming back through was incredibly exciting and I knew it would be a good opportunity to see RÜFÜS before they headed back overseas where, no doubt, their international profile would continue to rise.
Although it’s a Sunday night, the crowd was ready to turn up for RÜFÜS all the same. With a solid list of support acts having done their thing beforehand, there was noting about the crowd in HQ that played into any preconception people may hold regarding Adelaide audiences. By the time RÜFÜS emerge on to the stage, the lights have begun shooting out across the main dance floor, transforming the otherwise sticky-floored nightclub into a sultry, pumping music environment that wasted no time in roping punters in with each well crafted electro-pop beat.
Of course, RÜFÜS has been touring their latest single “You Were Right” – a taste of what’s to come from their highly anticipated sophomore record, one understandably a big shadow to follow after Atlas really brought RÜFÜS to widespread acclaim and attention. Given that we had only just seen the band in town as part of the album tour last year, in terms of the set list, the run of music we bore witness to tonight didn’t really blow my mind or come left field. In saying this, what we got was every bit as impressive as I remembered, expected and hoped it would be. Now with a huge amount of touring experience behind them, RÜFÜS have definitely become a band who is well in charge of their creative output and their live shows are crisp, well-defined and brilliantly executed from the live beats, Tyrone‘s vocals, right through to the show production encapsulating the crowd at the same time.
Cuts from Atlas are delivered swiftly and it’s clear to see that RÜFÜS know which tracks work best at different points of the set. “Tonight”, “Sundream” and “Modest Life” are three of my favourite RÜFÜS tunes and the crowd responds well to each during the set as the band eased more and more into the live stage dynamic they’d obviously hit an almost mechanical rhythm with on the tour thus far. As far as show quality goes, RÜFÜS are in a really good phase at the moment, I feel. They’ve always been a group who I’ve been keeping an eye on as they’ve travelled overseas and had their music spread to more and more crowds internationally and although it would seem like the momentum has been gradual for them, the potential for RÜFÜS to really strike a light and take off has always been there and as we reach the end of this year, you can see it generating quicker and stronger than perhaps before.
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