'There’s no place I’d rather be'.
It’s pretty special when an electronic band from Australia can take over festival-sized green sites and command the attention of a 25,000-strong crowd on a breezy Melbourne night – especially when they were doing it back-to-back when 25,000 more fans coming back the very next night.
Comprising Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George and James Hunt from Sydney, larger-than-life electronic trio RÜFÜS DU SOL have been turning heads for what seems like an eternity and following a mammoth North America, UK and Europe Surrender tour, the band finally returned home for their first Australian tour in three years.
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Well, it was worth the wait. Since announcing their Melbourne shows just over a year ago (and adding a second show due to phenomenal demand), RÜFÜS DU SOL have experienced a rapid rise to world-domination status, scoring a Grammy for Best Dance Recording, leading the ARIA nominations with seven noms and playing sold-out shows at some of the most iconic venues around the world.
Now it was our turn.
Armed with a new live show and ARIA #1 album, Surrender, the trio delivered an incredibly multi-layered performance at Flemington Racecourse on Thursday, December 15 2022, reminding each and every fan there just why they continue to reign within the live-electronic space.
Opening at sunset with ‘Make It Happen’ from their most recent album Surrender, there was an instant release of energy among the crowd as vocalist Tyrone Lindqvist’s trademark wistful, lovelorn delivery instantly inspired dancing with tears in your eyes. Despite the sheer size of the festival ground, the site felt as though it has burst like a pin prick to a balloon. It was clear pent up longing and excitement to experience this band live, with the year-long wait for ticket purchasers, was instantly released. The crowd, all 25,000 of them, was in ecstasy.
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Followed by a collection of tracks from 2021’s Surrender, 2018’s Solace and 2016’s Bloom, with the like of ‘Eyes’, crowd favourite ‘You Were Right’, ‘Devotion’ and the ‘On my Knees’, the energy remained, as the chemistry between the band and audience members only climbed.
Shortly into the set, Lindqvist declared the band’s excitement for these Australian shows, with one of their last performances seeing them bring in the New Year at Beyond The Valley back in 2019/2020: “Melbourne we’ve been looking forward to these shows for a very long time.”
As the sun went down the band moved into hit tracks such as ‘Like An Animal’, ‘Brighter’, ‘Sundream / Be With You’ and ‘Make It Happen’, bringing in the striking light show which saw the energy of the site shift once again. People were dancing and the mini-festival was well and truly in full swing.
The beauty of this trio’s live show is their ability to ever-so-gently draw you in further with each track, building a massive, multi-layered climax of beats, vocal harmonies, synths and instrumentals, backdropped by synced, colourful lights.
The glorious and transcendent “Let the rain come down, open up the sky!” filled the site as the band performed their title track ‘Surrender’, with echos of “Shower me with love” running wild throughout the crowd.
Much like all their albums, the live shows change in hues, sustaining and releasing tension. Slowing things down for just a moment, the band came in with Surrender’s lead single and feel-good track ‘Next To Me’, where Lindqvist shared he sang this to his wife Malorie at their wedding. With its rich, pulsating percussion and immersive synths, a new sense of emotion among the crowd was thrown into the mix. Couples in the crowd nestled into each other while swaying arms took over the grounds. The crowd was suddenly in unison and the connection between each individual and the music was unparalleled.
Their 120-minute set plays like one long continuous mix, weaving in ‘See You Again’, ‘New Sky’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Leave’ and ‘Solace’. With thumping beats and Lindqvist’s soaring vocals, ‘Underwater’ proved a crowd favorite, with the lofty house music euphoria and indie rock roots taking the show to yet another level.
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Following with ‘Always’, ‘Lost In My Mind’ and the mesmerising croons of “At least I’m alive, believe me, believe me, believe me” in ‘Alive’, the band ended their main set with the anticipated nine-minute journey ‘Innerbloom’, transporting the audience into an atmospheric world with the bitter-sweet melody, dynamic rhythms and silky vocals.
Drawing the night to a close with what might be one the bands’ most well-known and widely adored cinematic track ‘Treat You Better’, lifted from Solace. A love song of the best kind, the melodic electronic ballad filled the grounds with the pulsating synth driven beat and the croons of “I just wanna treat you better’”. It was a solid choice seeing as each and every lyric was relayed back to the band by a sea of ecstatic fans.
Of course, no RÜFÜS set would be complete without Solace’s lead single ‘No Place’, a deeply toned and cinematic piece closer which sent the crowd into a flourish with Lindqvist’s haunting vocals, pulsating synths, cascading percussion, and the hypnotizing tangle of musical melodies.
As expected at this point, RÜFÜS DU SOL did not disappoint, and with the help of an incredible lighting display, paired with the continuous flow of movement in the crowd, it was an unforgettable performance was a wondrous exposé of the emotive and entrancing style they have become known for. At that moment, there was truly no place I – or any of the other 25,000 fans – would rather be.
