The Rubens

Ahead of their biggest tour to date, The Ruben’s lead vocalist Sam Margin took the chance to reflect on their growth and the drastically different approaches they’ve taken to writing and recording their two albums. You could very easily make the case that the boys from Melbourne recorded their albums in reverse of what you would usually expect to see from a new band on the scene.

For their first album the boys had the opportunity to head over to New York City to work with Grammy Award-winning producer David Kahne, which in Sam’s own words was “lucky, because we weren’t really a band for very long and it all happened very quick.” Kahne had heard one of The Rubens songs and was immediately interested in working with them. “Within two months a few major, major things happened and changed everything for us. We were suddenly in the States with borrowed money from our parents and a tiny budget per day,” said Sam.

On the inverse for their second record, the guys decided to go for much more humble surroundings, setting up shop in an “old beach house right on the water” in Coledale. The decision to take this approach was a multi-faceted one incorporating both business and pleasure. “We did it for ourselves a little bit too, because we’ve been touring so much and haven’t had a holiday or done anything outside of the band for years,” reflected Sam. “We’ve just been on the road constantly, always with a tour manager, always with a schedule everyday that was down to fifteen minute increments for two years. So being able to get a beach house together and almost have a holiday together for a few weeks was really therapeutic before slowly easing into writing.”

Over the years the guys have grown as musicians thanks to their experiences on the road, having the chance to listen to more bands live and learn from them. With these lessons in mind, The Rubens always had the live performance in the back of the minds while writing Hoops. These songs are moulded to be “fun for us to play with moments that excite us, which then excites the crowd.”

The time away from touring has also allowed the guys to refine their live performance, which Sam believes is now “the tightest we’ve been because we’ve rehearsed a lot more too, which allows us to relax on stage.”

Oct 31. The Enmore Theatre, 118-132 Enmore Rd, Newtown. $44.95+b.f. Tickets & info: enmoretheatre.com.au