Where would you rather be on State Of Origin night? At Suncorp watching the game or at the Riverstage catching Rudimental and Sneaky Sound System?! I picked the second choice and it wasn’t a hard decision to make!
Celebrating the release of their latest album ‘Toast To Our Differences’, UK drum and bass outfit Rudimental are currently touring Australia with Aussie electronic legends Sneaky Sound System. I went along to catch them at their Brisbane show and both acts killed it.
Sneaky Sound System were up first and I was in desperate need of their catchy house beats to get my body moving because it was bloody freezing . Kicking off their set with 2011 single Friends, vocalist Miss Connie appeared front and centre backed by DJ Black Angus and the crowd was instantly hooked.
Sneaky Sound System’s music makes you feel like you have been transported to some alternative underground night club where the lights don’t stop flashing and no dance move looks to silly. The repetitive bass beat keeps your body on a constant loop and with songs like Pictures and UFO you can’t help but sing your heart out.
Now it was time for the name on everybody’s lips Ruuuuudimental! At its roots Rudimental is four school mates from London, Piers Aggett, Amir Amor, Kesi Dryden and Leon “Locksmith” Rolle. But Rudimental as a touring band is so much more than that, you have Beanie on the drums, Mark Crown on trumpet, Amo, Morgan and Afronaut with vocals and Renell on the bass. You can tell they are one big family and that they absolutely love what they do.
As soon as the group took to the stage it was euphoric chaos. No member was stuck in one position for more the 5 seconds before they broke out into a dance move or started playing a completely different instrument. It was mental, exciting, chaotic, you couldn’t look away even if you wanted to. It was one massive showcase of talent and love that you felt privileged to be apart of.
Kicking off with a shortened version of their single New Day as an intro the band then seamlessly merged into one of their high energy tracks Right Here. Rudimental proved from the very start that they meant business and that they weren’t going to skip over any of their earlier beloved tunes.
Jumping from one song to the next, Rudimental rolled through the best of their new album with songs such as Let Me Live and Toast To Our Differences as well as some golden oldies like Lay It All On Me, Bloodstream and Rumour Mill. It didn’t matter what song they played the crowd knew all the words, with their hands to the sky and their bodies rocking side to side Rudimental had the whole Riverstage wrapped around their little finger.
With tracks such as Free and They Don’t Care About Us the girls got to showcase their amazing pipes. I have never heard such beautiful voices and with fast paced note changing tracks they did incredible job not to miss even a single beat.
Finishing up their set, Rudimental leaped into a cover of Human by Rag’n’Bone Man before dropping one of their most famous singles Feel The Love. In unison the crowd sung the chorus over and over and again “You know I said it’s true, I can feel the love can you feel it too, I can feel it ah-ah, I can feel it ah-ah”. The music dropped out and all you could hear was hundreds of people coming together, singing the same song at the same moment and it was magical.
As the band left the stage the crowd roared with applause, it was like nothing I had ever heard before. It was no wonder they all returned for an encore to give us two more killer tracks for the road. Performing single release These Days and my personal favourite Waiting All Night, the crowd and Rudimental gave it everything they had, finishing the night on an absolute high.
The thing I love the most about Rudimental is the gut busting drum beat that sits underneath every one of their tracks. It’s true Drum and Bass music and its absolute best and its so addictive you can’t help but dance like a maniac. Their recorded tracks do no justice when it comes to their incredible live performance. You need to hear the passion in their voices, feel the bass in your heart and see the display of true musicianship and love.
Rudimental creates music that makes you want to fight for a better life. Fight for love and freedom and equality and all the things that will make this world a better place. It brings a smile to my face thinking back to the way I felt when watching them perform. It was like nothing else in the world mattered except being present in the moment. And if that isn’t enough reason to go and see Rudimental perform live than I don’t know what is.
