My Raw Reactions To Rüfüs Du Sol’s Brisbane Show (As Told By My Notes App)
no place i'd rather be
By Victoria Lewis | 28th November 2025When you’re in your 20s, you will get to go to a Rüfüs Du Sol concert on a random Tuesday night in Brisbane; it is vital that you go.
The Sunshine State welcomed alt-dance giants Rüfüs Du Sol to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre this week with a downpour of rain and a steadfast crowd. As for me? I’ve had a decade-long relationship with their music – ever since “Take Me” first graced the radio – so this was a gig well worth staying up past my bedtime for.
After forming the band right here on QLD soil in 2010, the power trio are now touring Australia and New Zealand for their Inhale/Exhale album released last October. And it’s official: with this record, they’ve added yet another stud to their belt of certified bangers.
So, like the dedicated reviewer I am, I took to my Notes app to document the electro affair in real time. Warning: unhinged reactions ahead.
The appetiser
First up, British icon SG Lewis warms up the stage, featuring a glorious appearance from RAHH. As we’re treated to the euphonic sounds of the pair, I type the following:
Points for the Venroy pants SG LewisIs that a tea you’re drinking, Mr Lewis??? (Update: It was)Rahh 👌👌👌You are the coolest person I’ve seen in my lifeMatching ties are a vibe
Struck by daring dance moves and the corporate-cool, complimenting outfits, I am an immediate fan, mentally saving their discographies for future use.
The main event
Alright, boys, it’s the main event – you know, that moment when the GA swarm stirs, and eerie sonic textures fill your eardrums – that palpable energy shift. And I’ve got to say, the sea of phones, camera apps open and lying in wait for the band to appear on stage, is actually beautiful – a token of that addictive collective anticipation. It’s electric.
With the effortless swagger of seasoned Aussie artists, trio Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George, and James Hunt immediately command their adoring crowd. Within 30 seconds, those in reserved seats are on their feet; within 60, the lyrics are echoing around the arena. It’s an audience in the know. The GA section moves like liquid under the beam of bright blue light. Something about their sound is otherworldly. It’s alien.
Each donning a pair of sexy speed-dealer sunnies and dressed in monochrome black, their presence cuts through the deep violet and electric blue glow flooding the stage – it’s all very ’90s, and oh, in the best way.
Here’s what the Notes app reported:Obsessed with the drummer and his cool glasses (they were chrome coloured)Is this what people in the ’90s felt like in Daft Punk’s “Around The World” eraPhone screens dancing with the light changeSynth sounds tickle the brainIt’s giving major summer festival energy
Tyrone, I can’t get enough of you
They pivot from the hard-hitting “Lately” fresh off the latest album to the familiar favourite “You Were Right.” At one point, frontman Tyrone Lindqvist points to the crowd as he sings, “and now I can’t get enough of you.” It’s a small symbol of his appreciation. It’s connection at its finest — artist to audience, audience to artist, stranger to stranger, all bouncing around in the mosh. This is the power of a RÜFÜS DU SOL show.
There’s something almost indescribable about being in your 20s, boogying with your girlfriends to songs you first heard when you were 13.
In a flurry of typing:Hot glasses + hot songs = hot performanceThe confetti rain was epicThe timing of the confetti rain was even more so, during the “Let the rain come down” lyric from “Surrender” (I see what you did there, boys)Major props to the cameraman who was running a marathon – and killing it with the visualsThe crowd transcends time, from teenagers to grandparents, and everyone is in a trance
The night beats on with electro music that ripples through your chest. After a trippy remix of “On My Knees” and a run of tracks from the latest release, it’s their layering of sound that hits different live. James Hunt’s passionate drum work is amplified by Jon George’s synth magic, propping up Lindqvist’s vocals.
Combine this sonic mastery with the insane production, and you’ve got yourself quite the show. Lasers hover over the crowd, confetti rains down not once but twice, and the lighting lines up perfectly to the beat, punctuating beat drops and amping up the crowd with the occasional downlight.
INNERBLOOM
Speaking of, that’s when the fluid first notes of “Innerbloom” reverberate through the stadium, pierced only by the swell of collective cheering. The phone goes down; Notes app away.
The song that travels time and space. A song that’s grown up with you – with you through thick and thin.
Cut the lights, cut the production – Rüfüs Du Sol songs are, at their core, love songs. Yes, they’re electronic and manic and amazing, but they also hold a rare softness for the genre. Maybe that’s what lets them connect with so many, from so many walks of life. Maybe that’s how they had an entire sold-out stadium turning on their phone torches and swaying to “Treat You Better.”
My final thoughts are as follows:Oh, to be the girl who got to hold Tyrone’s hand when he stood in the crowdI’m hypnotised by the synchronised lighting (Mind the rhyme)Innerbloom only gets better live (yes, I nearly cried)How good is Aussie music???Hopecore is the story Tyrone told the crowd about his dad showing off his music to an unsuspecting waitress in 2010
That’s the thing about Rüfüs Du Sol – they’re still just humble guys who command sound and really frickin’ love what they do. And there is truly nothing I love more than performers who love what they do.
It’s only on the silent carpool ride home, after a mad dash in the rain and ears still ringing, that I realise just how many bangers these guys have – and how many favourites I’d listened to in the last two hours. Having spent the evening with electric beats, flashing lights, and a crowd that moved like one pulse, I’ve discovered even more songs that’ll soundtrack my life for the coming months, years, or let’s be honest, decades. I’d say: not bad for a random Tuesday.
Imagery: Supplied
