Live Review: RUFUS

Recently returned from the US (where they go by RUFUS DU SOL) for TomorrowWorld and One Tribe, RUFUS are jumping around stages in Oz, playing some fine tunes for the good people of their home country. Sunday night was Adelaide's turn to host the current reigning champions of the Sydney sound.

The impending Monday morning didn't keep the crowds away: the not-long-for-this-world HQ was full to the multi-tiered-brim with an amped up bunch of folks, keen to get a piece of the RUFUS love, and the trio was up to the task. The set started with a pretty relaxed slow-build weave of loops, sampling a few of the night's forthcoming tracks as a bit of a teaser, and it wasn't too long before the crowd was heaving.

The boys put down a well-crafted set, controlling the pace with warmer, more soulful moments offering some respite in between their stomping club burners, like Tonight and Take Me. The latter were clear standouts on the night, ensuring the crowd did some serious dancing. Expectations for the night were met heartily; RUFUS' live performance really brings out the summer dance party elements of their indie yacht electro. The live percussion and vocals added punch to what is already engaging music. HQ's sound system held up well, pushing out some of the intricacies in the more trancey moments, while still thumping out the lower frequencies as required.

After a busy couple of years heavily touring their ARIA-nominated, heavy lifting, debut album, Atlas, RUFUS have started drip-feeding a couple of new singles to an eager fandom, the currently circulating Like An Animal and You Were Right getting a vigorous playing on the night. The crowd was more than happy to get a live taste of the new jams.

It's hard to imagine when they'll have a chance to find any more studio time, with a couple of east coast shows to come before they jet back to North America for a short headline tour, then cap off the year with some Aussie festivals (most notably Falls).