RÜFÜS @ Festival Hall
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RÜFÜS @ Festival Hall

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It always surprises me how many concertgoers skip the support acts at shows they’ve paid good money to attend. Ticket holders trickled in as Tora took the stage. With a fun, young energy flowing between them, the Byron Bay boys were brilliant to watch. With the stage already jam-packed, their closing song, Never With Me, saw their main man Meals come to join in the mayhem. Another reminder of the importance of arriving a bit early, Tora had the half-filled venue feeling fine right from the beginning.

After hearing plenty of rave reviews about Bob Moses, we were excited to see what all the fuss was about. The Canadian duo soon saturated Festival Hall with some seriously fat bass, playing tracks including Talk and Tearing Me Up, and exuding endless excitement. Magnetic energy and too-cool-for-school stage presence, the electronic duo definitely deserve all the hype surrounding them.

By the time Rüfüs were ready to take the stage, the crowd was getting rowdy. There were guys making a break for the general admission area, girls gripping onto the handrails to remain upright, and the lines to the bar were just way too long. Emerging to a twinkling piano tone, the trio started by bringing four minutes of sunshine into the room with Brighter and Sundream. A yellow-lit stage and an upstanding audience, there was no doubt that they were turning it up tonight. Tell Me had a certain jazzy delight until the banging bassline eventually butted in. Igniting a party vibe, Rüfüs’ romance-themed songs gained a sing-along reaction.
The set list included older tunes like Desert Night and newbies including Say a Prayer For Me, Hypnotised, Lose My Head, Daylight and Until The Sun Needs To Rise. With only one night to spend in Melbourne, the group had the crowd forgetting themselves and the fact that they had to go to work the next day.

Taking up seven minutes of their set, Innerbloom saw an impressive light display and incredible commitment to a long-lasting track from everyone involved. Scoring a standing ovation, the guys thanked their support act and audience before announcing that it was Jon’s birthday (and yes, then the entire crowd sang to him). The band left the stage for a brief moment, coming back with an encore featuring easily their two most recognisable works, Take Me and You Were Right.

Loved: People watching.

Hated: That they messed with Take Me.

Drank: Nada.

BY PHOEBE ROBERTSON