The Rubens embrace the chaos
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Playing straight … The Rubens reveal how they keep it together on their never-ending tours. Picture: Braden Fastier
Source: News Corp Australia
THE debut record from Australian rockers The Rubens took them around the world. Brothers Sam and Elliott Margin reveal how they kept their sanity ahead of second album.
That is one crazy dancer in the video for latest single Hallelujah. I have to confess I was a little creeped out.
Elliott: Some friends I have shown it to who I thought would love it have been creeped out by it. Some people laugh uneasily, some people are moved by it, how beautiful the movement is.
Sam: He is one of the most respected interpretative dancers in Australia. He was perfect. I didn’t realise it was going to be so polarising. I thought everyone would think it was beautiful.
Does Hoops restore the guitar solo to rock? Your brother Zaac is busting them out on the second album.
Sam: His solos are ridiculous on this record. He hates solos but I can’t believe how good they are. Guitar solos are on the way back. Not trying to sound like Jimi Hendrix — but clever solos.
Who was falling in love and out of love in this band between records? There’s plenty of baggage songs on here like Bitter End and Cut Me Loose.
Sam: Lyrics-wise? No one really. It’s all fiction. I personally write about friends, family or no one. I like to make up stories. It’s fun to start a song out of nothing, to not think about what you are writing. Who is this character and what happens to them?
There are a couple of moments on Hoops that sound like you were trying to channel the Arctic Monkeys.
Sam: The Night Is On My Side, right? I was listening to that record A.M. a lot. There are a few lines on there that I think sound like Arctic Monkeys.
How did you maintain your sanity and survive all the touring you did here and overseas off the back of your debut album?
Elliott: It was easy as, I think. We loved it. You never expect that is going to be your job, playing shows around the country or in Europe or America. You wake up in a crappy hotel room somewhere and drive for nine hours to the next place and it’s awesome. You are eating crappy truck stop food and doing awful, awful stinky poos — it’s the best, a dream come true.
Solo time … The Rubens are confident guitar solos are back and bust them out on second album Hoops. Picture: Picture: Braden Fastier
Source: News Corp Australia
Do you have band tour rules, particularly when it comes to the bathroom?
Elliott: I think you would always develop a certain etiquette if you are in that situation. It’s a healthy way to be. Otherwise it is just lies because everyone goes to the toilet, everyone has bad habits.
Sam: The biggest thing you learn is that when you have a chance to sleep, then sleep. If you have a chance to sleep on a day off, maybe don’t go out after the gig and get wasted.
One of the standout songs on Hoops is Hold Me Back, which is about addiction. Is that one personal or fiction?
Sam: It’s personal to the extent that people I know have gone through battles with addiction and ended up in AA or NA. It’s heaps of people these days, young people. It’s really common. You do think about that kind of stuff. When you are touring, you have cases of beer, too much booze in your rider for any band to consume generally. That’s what you ask for. None of us are at the point where we are asking the question are we becoming addicted to alcohol. But would I get stressed out if I couldn’t have a beer before I went on? I had a bottle of Jameson on stage every night for a lot of that first tour and by the end of the night I didn’t know if I was playing well or sober enough to play.
So how did you address that?
You have to put systems in place. You know two beers before the gig are enough. We are all really aware of it, especially if you are at a festival and waiting around for hours. I’ll ask the guys how many beers they have had and stay on top of it so everyone is ready to go on stage. If the nerves come in and somebody starts drinking too many beers, it is to the detriment of the band.
Snappy suits … The Rubens are keen to be one of the best-dressed bands in the land. Picture: Supplied.
Source: Supplied
You still get nervous before the big gigs?
Sam Yeah, yeah, totally. Even the small gigs when it’s really intimate.
Elliott: Especially the small gigs. Industry gigs that are in your face.
Sam: It’s always good to have fans in the front row.
Speaking of your fans, you guys are pretty bad on social media. All you do is retweet the Triple J alert when they play your song.
Elliott: We don’t know what to do. I saw a couple of bands retweeting those JPlay tweets, Alpine were doing it, so I thought if they do it, we should. I’m glad you have mentioned it so now I won’t do it any more. It’s so confusing.
Sam: We are trying our best at Instagram. It’s not about social media but everyone keeps telling us it is. It’s about people coming to live gigs. I get that people want to see some thing of what’s happening behind the scenes and I’m all right about giving them some insight into what we do, where we are, what it is like.
Welcome to rock’n’roll in 2015.
Sam: Any band who talks about identity or branding, they are thinking way too much about it. I bet Tame Impala couldn’t tell what their identity is. I can tell you what our music is. Having said that, we are thinking more about how we present ourselves, we want to look sharp. You’ve seen the album art, it’s gold, black and white and we are going for that vibe in what we wear on stage and the lighting. We’re not embarrassed about saying ‘Hey guys what you wearing to the gig tomorrow?’
HEAR: Hoops (Ivy League) is out tomorrow.
SEE: The Rubens, The Forum, October 9. Ticketmaster. Regional dates at therubensmusic.com
SEE: The Rubens, Max Watts, October 23. Oztix. Regional dates at therubensmusic.com
SEE The Rubens, Enmore Theatre, October 31. Ticketek. Regional dates at therubensmusic.com
