The chance to see The Rubens live has escaped me twice before, but they do say third time’s the charm, and what an outstanding and charming night it was at Eatons Hill Hotel. It’s hard to think of many Australian acts that have seen as much recent success as the lads from Menangle. The release of their second studio album Hoops found great chart success in Australia, with multiple singles receiving critical and public acclaim. Not only this, the band have also been receiving acclaim for their live performances, ruling the amphitheatre at Splendour In The Grass last year, so I thought it was about time I went to see what all the fuss is about.

I rocked up (yay… puns) to Eatons Hill Hotel on a rather chilly Friday night, excited at the prospect of what I was assuming would be an incredible night of music. The first act of the night was Slum Sociable, the Melbourne indie/electronic and self proclaimed, ‘Washed out jazz hop,’ group, known for producing really chill melodies mixed with hiphop-esque beats. I had heard nothing but good things about their live performances and I was not disappointed. The band has great stage presence, boosting the intensity of their music with their performance, treating the crowd to a mix of new and old tunes, with my personal favourite being ‘All Night’ off their 2015 release TQ. I’ll also add that lead vocalist and tambourine enthusiast Miller's dance moves are worth the admission price alone.

Next up were Mansionair, and words cannot describe how breathtaking this performance was. The Sydney trio graced the stage with a brooding backing track that peaked my interest right away, and I can honestly say it did not let up for the whole set. Lead vocalist Jack’s voice is absolutely perfect for the whole performance, with the group working in perfect harmony to create an emotionally charged set that covers old and new material. I try to pin point highlights from all concerts I go to, but this is one of those sets that doesn’t have a highlight, the entire performance is a highlight. Mansionair definitely provide a show that has to be seen to be believed.

Alright, the time had finally come. It was finally my chance to see The Rubens live, and after the previous set I was completely pumped up for some kickass live music. Strolling out onto the stage come the Menangle boys, absolutely dripping in confident swagger that’s to be expected from a rising rock contingent. They kick off the show with a bang, and before long the entire crowd is already singing along to the music. Lead guitar/vocalist Sam Margin commands the stage as a rock frontman should, using his blues/soul vocal style to sooth the ears of the audience. The band are clearly rehearsed in putting on a good live performance, as they flow perfectly off each other from track to track, and constantly give cheeky looks to both the crowd and other band members.

They’re good, they know it, and that’s the attitude I love to see from modern rockers. Again I was wondering to myself whether or not this set was going to contain any highlights, or if I’d have another performance which was simply one giant highlight. My answer was soon given to me when a recognisable bass line filled the room. I stood there with the bass line running through my head, when suddenly the crowd went absolutely nuts, screaming out lyrics to Adele’s ‘Hello’. It was the groovy bass from Kendrick Lamar’s ‘King Kunta’, and we were being treated to the band’s cover of ‘King Kunta’ and ‘Hello’. I thought this crowd reaction was at the peak, surely they couldn’t get any more hype. Yep, I was wrong again. The band successfully cranked it all the way up to 11 with their performances of 2012’s ‘My Gun’ and the universally loved ‘Hoops’, arguably the bands biggest hit in 2015. The entire venue was singing along, and I couldn’t help but smile over the fact that all the reviews and whispers I had heard were correct. The Rubens put on an absolutely killer live performance, with Sam Margin proving that he’s a premier rock frontman in the Australian scene.

My own personal highlight was the performance of my favourite track of theirs ‘Hallelujah’, which had been saved for the final encore of the night. I was one with the crowd, belting out the lyrics and shaking my head in some form of frenzy. You could say it was a night of many revelations for me. It was confirmed that Slum Sociable can successfully transfer their electronic/jazzy sound to a great live performance, even boosting the intensity of the music in a fitting manner. Mansionair may have just set the bar for what may be my favourite live set of the year. And finally, yes, The Rubens may very well be the premier rock band in Australia right now, proving that not only can they back it up with a constant supply of critically acclaimed albums, they completely knock down any doubt with an outstanding rock performance that needs to be seen by any rock or music fan.

- Ryan Hoy