When I was travelling to Madrid for the gig, I texted a friend last minute to ask if she wanted to catch up while I was in town. I mentioned I was coming to see one of my fave acts. My European fam are not normally versed in the Aussie music scene, so when she asked which band it was, I brushed her off, saying, “You wouldn’t know them. They’re an electronic act, originally from Sydney – RÜFÜS DU SOL.” 

She texted me back right away, in capital letters: “OF COURSE I KNOW RÜFÜS!!! WHO DOESN’T?! I wish you’d told me earlier that you were coming. I already have plans 😭“ And then it hit me.

You see, sometimes, I forget that RÜFÜS DU SOL are not just another alternative dance act from Oz that has made it overseas. They are a Grammy-winning electronic music band. No wonder my friend and around 15k fans (my estimate based on the venue capacity) were ready to turn up to see them live in Madrid. So for all those who missed out, here’s what went down at the gig. 

PART 263 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE

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There’s a reel on the band’s socials that starts with a fan holding her phone up at a concert in Latin America with the inscription sliding across the screen: “RÜFÜS saved my soul from the darkness.” I reckon this statement represents a lot of RÜFÜS DU SOL fans. 

I can relate, too. After all, some of the band’s songs have marked significant milestones in my life.

Like that time I was weighing my decision to return to Europe after two and a half years in Oz, having “Another Life” on repeat at work. Or when I found myself stuck in my home country during the pandemic, thinking “What the f*ck am I doing here?” and crying to “Treat You Better” on my mates’ shoulders. Or quite recently, when “Standing at the Gates” from the band’s latest album struck a chord with me because… well, I am currently standing at metaphorical gates, both privately and professionally.

So, how have the Sydneysiders managed to touch so many people from different sides of the world with their music?

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Given that very few bands from the Land Down Under boast the status RÜFÜS DU SOL have reached in the international music space, their journey up to this point might seem like winning a jackpot.

It took Tyrone Lindqvist (guitars, keyboards and vocals), Jon George (keyboards) and James Hunt (drums) “only” three years to reach the top of the Aussie charts with their debut album Atlas, five years to win their first ARIA (the local music industry’s) award for “You Were Right” and six years to play their first Coachella set. 

From that moment onwards, they’ve been taking it further and higher, releasing five studio albums to date, frequently touring the globe and winning a Grammy Award for the Best Dance/Electronic Recording for “Alive” in 2022 (which, by the way, they reacted to in a pretty low-key way.) 

But RÜFÜS DU SOL’s global popularity (over 12,5 millon monthly listeners on Spotify and 2.2 million followers on IG) has much more to do with how well they interpret the world surrounding us all through their music and not with their industry achievements. 

There’s something profoundly cathartic about the band’s songs.

On the one hand, they’re dancy (“No Place”). The hooks are sophisticated and elaborate (“Alive”). And the melodies are super catchy (“On My Knees”).

On the other hand, the lyricists (who are all three members, to a certain extent, it turns out) clearly don’t aspire to be intergenerational poets. Take the lyrics to “Music is Better”—they could easily be a nursery rhyme. But fans definitely relate to the main themes in their music: the need for love, connection and acceptance in these pretty turbulent times we live in. 

Having said that, the Aussies’ music is not an easy listen at all, ladies and gents. Quite the opposite, actually. Their tracks are super decadent—they’re uneasy and sad AF but ecstatic and liberating at the same time. The frontman commented on that when the band released “Alive”, saying: “It’s a heavier song in some ways, but at its core it’s hopeful.”

That dichotomy is a phenomenon worth noting. The feeling of communal solitude that many of us experience these days is a big part of the group’s craft and live performances. It’s the universal ingredient of “Let’s be alone together” that makes so many people connect with their music. Me included. 

The Madrid date wasn’t the first time I saw RÜFÜS DU SOL live. But I was curious what those expansive vibes sound like in an arena in a country where English is not the native language.

And it was quite a spectacle. 

The band’s stage set-up is designed the same way their music is arranged. It’s a constant dialogue between light and darkness. Pair that with the band’s black outfits and the artificial smoke that fills the arena just before they hit the stage, and you find yourself in a unique, cosmic ambience and total mystique, which is the band’s signature live setting.

The members seem to refrain from playing the first fiddle at their performances on purpose, letting the music speak for them instead (and rendering any footage recorded on non-professional equipment from the audience’s perspective unusable—“note-to-self” for the future when I miss out on the press accreditation again.)

Probably for the same reason, they keep the interactions with punters to a minimum. But I always appreciate their democratic approach to it, meaning each muso takes a turn to engage with and acknowledge the fans.

Tyrone also made an effort to learn a few words in the local tongue and referred to a half-marathon that had taken place in Madrid earlier that day. And even though this is something many artists do these days, leveraging “humanity” and authenticity rather than spreading the aura of unapproachable stardom, these small details and genuine gestures of appreciation do resonate with audiences. 

Speaking of the language, it was totally not a communication barrier. Before the gig started, I heard people chat in Spanish, English, German, Dutch, Portuguese and Czech. This is a testament to how international the RÜFÜS audience is. Moreover, given the current state of the global economy, pretty much anywhere, travelling to a foreign country to see your favourite band is a sign of true dedication (speaking from experience). So the feeling of respect is reciprocal here. And fans were generously rewarded for it with the music. 

The 25-song (!) set was built around all the bangers you can possibly think of, from “Innerbloom” to “Pressure”. It also showed the many different facets of the Inhale/Exhale album (nearly half the songs were taken from it).

Some tracks had slightly different arrangements, like “Eyes”, which is always a welcome plot twist when done right and sparingly. There were some more intimate moments with songs like “New York” and some hopeful ones with my forever-favourite “Treat You Better”, created by the phones’ flashlights, turned on on the frontman’s request. 

The band also made sure some happy, Coldplay-like moments were part of their performance. The lights would often change to more lively colours, and enough confetti was shot in the air (fittingly, during the “Let the rain come down” part of the “Surrender feat. Curtis Harding” lyrics) that it left a pretty decent white carpet on the floor. The heat was being cleverly turned up throughout the whole set, leaving “Break My Love” and “Music is Better” for the encore. You can imagine the state of euphoria the audience was in by then.  

The vibe at the concert was definitely a blast. But I also have to go with my pretty concert-trained ear—it wasn’t a perfect sonic experience.

I had the impression Tyrone’s vocals (that are pretty distinctive to start with) were muffled, especially at the beginning. They got much better as the singer’s voice warmed up, but I’ve seen similar comments about the earlier Barcelona gig, which would indicate sound engineering issues. Not an ideal scenario for a band of this format at this stage of their career.

That brings me to my point.

I’m now 100% convinced that RÜFÜS DU SOL’s music is best appreciated in an outdoor setting. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever watched the band’s set recorded at the Joshua Tree National Park in the States or got a glimpse of their performance at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado (the performance at which, coincidentally, happens to be the object of desire for everybody who is somebody in the music biz). After all, that spacious sound is what the band is all about. 

I’m willing to let these sound imperfections slide this time, though, because the Aussie outfit has saved my soul from the darkness many times, too.

So let’s do it again sometime, RÜFÜS DU SOL. In an open-air venue or at a cool festival, please. And I promise that next time I’ll bring some mates with.

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RÜFÜS DU SOL, 2026 Tour, European leg

Madrid, Spain, Movistar Arena

Sunday, 26 April 2026

Main setlist:

1. Inhale / Brighter
2. Lately
3. Breathe
4. You Were Right
5. Sundream / Make It Happen
6. On My Knees
7. In the Moment
8. Pressure
9. Desert Night
10. New Sky / Take Me
11. Levitating
12. Next to Me
13. Surrender
14. Exhale
15. Fire/Desire
16. Underwater
17. Eyes
18. Alive
19. Always
20. New York
21. Treat You Better
22. Innerbloom

Encore:

1. Break My Love
2. No Place
3. Music is Better / Be With You

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