To celebrate the release of their sixth studio album, Group Therapy, The Rubens will host launch parties in Melbourne and Sydney next week. Fans can expect a live Q&A and meet-and-greet, as well as a rare stripped-back acoustic set, performed by brothers Sam & Elliott Margin, offering a unique chance to hear the new tracks performed live in a close, personal setting. Both events are FREE and all ages.
5:30pm Weds 21 Oct – Punters Club, Fitzroy, Melbourne
6pm Thurs 22 Oct – Young Henry’s, Newtown, Sydney
FREE ENTRY
U18 with a Guardian
LISTEN TO THE RUBENS ‘GROUP THERAPY’
The Rubens’ Group Therapy, was recorded in a converted World War II communications bunker that houses the quintet’s recording studio and rehearsal space. As it was on the band’s 2012 self-titled debut, guitar is the key instrument, eschewing the synths of 2024 predecessor SODA for an approach bassist William Zeglis calls “almost full circle”.
This is especially evident in opener ‘Love Me America’, its bombastic wall of guitars welcoming the listener before taking them on a dynamic ride that incorporates vibrant lyrical storytelling and acoustic passages all tied together in epic arrangements throughout the album. Proving that, while guitar may be the defining instrument on Group Therapy, it’s clearly not at the expense of creativity, ambition or inventiveness.
The fifth single from Group Therapy, the euphoric indie-pop-rock of ‘The Cannonball’, proves love can flourish in the most ordinary of spaces – in this case, a pub with a TAB.
Singer-guitarist Sam Margin explains, “In a bad movie, love finds you in the perfect place at the perfect time. In a good one, it usually walks through the door when you’re in a bad place at the worst possible time – somewhere between betting on the dogs and one beer or Adderall too many. ‘The Cannonball’ is about warning someone not to fall for you while secretly hoping they ignore every word. About finding someone willing to attach wings to all your dead weight. Production-wise, we loved having the emotive acoustic guitar as the anchor, while the outro gave us a chance to channel some early-2000s angst. If love finds you at all, you’re lucky.”
Elsewhere on the record, love is a key lyrical theme on Group Therapy, from the pain of watching a former partner find happiness with someone else on ‘Are You Getting High’, to the couple embarking on a chaotic, “unhinged, unhealthy night” in ‘Goanna’. The melodically-rich yet lovelorn waltz of ‘No Champagne’ is mired in heartbreak, while the gentle ‘Every Piece Of Me’ is a nostalgic take on a relationship whose flaws are softened by hindsight.
There is joy in the record too – the up-tempo soul-stomp of closer ‘Oh Saturday’ and the euphoric rush of ‘Hotel Hotel’ (even if it’s about someone trying to outrun past mistakes) – and there is sadness, most poignantly in the character study of addiction that is ‘Close Ups’. There is also, for the first time since ‘Cowboy’ from the band’s debut album, whistling on the undeniably catchy ‘Bright Light’.
Referring to Group Therapy as his first sober album, in hindsight Sam can see he’d hit “a low point” after a self-described “booze-related” breakdown, where he was on autopilot with music. This episode contributed to the naming of the album. “Sam went to therapy, and was talking about how it was helping him,” explains brother and bandmate Elliott Margin. “And ‘group’ was a part of that – we’re a group. We’re in it together. And how do people often experience music? Together. Live shows are our favourite part of being in a band. That’s pretty much a group therapy experience for us.” Through the fresh lens of sobriety and the band’s version of group therapy, Sam says “Now I’m just enjoying the process. Being with my mates and making music is awesome and my anxiety has gone so much.”
Fifteen years into their career – one that’s yielded five ARIA Top 5 albums and a myriad Gold and Platinum singles, including the triple-Platinum ‘Never Ever’, ‘Live in Life’ and ‘Hoops’ – that group therapy is as potent as ever.
To celebrate the release of their new album Group Therapy, The Rubens are heading out on a massive tour, bringing their big live sound, catchy hooks and feel-good tunes to every corner of the country. Renowned for their incredible live shows, magnetic energy and crowd singalongs, this will be a chance to see The Rubens perform songs from Group Therapy, as well as fan favourites and deep cuts.
Joining The Rubens on Part 1 of the tour, except for WA, are SELVE. Fronted by charismatic Jabirr Jabirr frontman Loki Liddle, SELVE are a powerhouse alt-rock outfit who are quickly cementing their reputation as one of the most exciting live acts in the country.
The Rubens – Group Therapy Tour
Presented by triple j
Fri 16 Oct – Sydney, NSW – City Recital Hall*
Fri 23 Oct – Adelaide, SA – The Gov*
Sat 24 Oct – Mt Gambier, SA – The Globe Hotel
Thu 29 Oct – Coolum, QLD – Black Flag Brewing*
Fri 30 Oct – Brisbane, QLD – The Tivoli*
Sat 31 Oct – D’Aguilar, QLD – D’Ag Pub*
Thu 5 Nov – Castlemaine, VIC – Theatre Royal
Fri 6 Nov – Melbourne, VIC – Forum
Sat 7 Nov – Barwon Heads, VIC – Barwon Heads Hotel
Fri 20 Nov – Hobart, TAS – Odeon Theatre*
Sat 21 Nov – Forth, TAS – Forth Pub
Thu 3 Dec – Fremantle, WA – Freo Social
Fri 4 Dec – Margaret River, WA – The River
Sat 12 Dec – Wagga Wagga, NSW – Romano’s*
Fri 22 Jan — Shoal Bay, NSW — Shoal Bay Country Club
Sat 23 Jan — Erina, NSW — Woodport Hotel
Sun 24 Jan — Lake Macquarie, NSW — Toronto Hotel
Mon 25 Jan — Mona Vale, NSW — Mona Vale Hotel
Thu 28 Jan — Pacific Palms, NSW — The Recky
Fri 29 Jan — Coffs Harbour, NSW — Hoey Moey*
Sat 30 Jan — Yamba, NSW — Yamba Bowling Club
Sun 31 Jan — Brunswick Heads, NSW — Hotel Brunswick
Fri 12 Feb — Wombarra, NSW — Wombarra Bowling & Rec*
Sat 13 Feb — Kiama, NSW — The Pavilion
*U18 with a Guardian
Made up of Margin brothers, Zaac, Sam and Elliott, and long-term friends Scott Baldwin and William Zeglis, The Rubens were formed in 2011 in Menangle, NSW. Not long after, they uploaded their first single, ‘Lay It Down’ to triple j Unearthed and won the triple j Unearthed Homebake competition later that year.
Things quickly took off and by 2012 the five-piece alternative rock band had released their self-titled debut album. It was a resounding success which saw The Rubens win triple j Unearthed Artist of the Year, perform at every major Australian music festival, sell out shows worldwide and support artists like Bruce Springsteen, The Black Keys and GROUPLOVE. Two singles from the album placed in triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2012, ‘My Gun’ at #10 and ‘The Best We Got’ at #66, with the album being ARIA Certified Platinum since. Off the back of this, The Rubens performed at triple j’s One Night Stand concert in 2013, alongside Flume, Ball Park Music and Seth Sentry, beginning their long-standing love affair with touring regional Australia.
Their sophomore album Hoops debuted at #2 on the ARIA Charts in 2015, which once again saw the band sell out venues all over Australia, playing to crowds of 5000 people a night at venues like the Hordern Pavilion, Margaret Court Arena and Melbourne Zoo. The title track, ‘Hoops’, won triple j’s Hottest 100 and has been streamed over 100 million times since. As of 2019, ‘Hoops’ is an ARIA Certified Triple Platinum single, while the album is ARIA Certified Gold. Following on from their Hottest 100 win, The Rubens were invited to perform Hoops on triple j Like A Version, as well as a mash-up of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘King Kunta’ and Adele’s ‘Hello’.
2017 saw the band release ‘Million Man’, the first song from their third album, working with credible producers Little Shalimar & Wilder Zoby of Run The Jewels fame. The subsequent global tour saw a slew of sold out shows in North America, including Vancouver, Toronto, New York, Brooklyn, and Chicago, as well as London and their hometown show at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.
In 2018 the band released their third album LO LA RU, debuting at #3 on the ARIA Album Charts, with ‘Million Man’ also receiving ARIA Gold certification and lead single ‘Never Ever feat. Sarah’ now certified ARIA Double Platinum. ‘Never Ever’ also went on to win the APRA Rock Work of The Year Award in 2019. Rounding out a massive 2018, the band supported global superstar PINK on her 42-date arena tour across Australia and New Zealand, playing in front of 500,000 fans across the tour. Another notable performance saw the band do a live debut of their collaboration with US hip hop star Vic Mensa on the main stage Splendour In The Grass in 2019.
The Rubens fourth studio album, 0202, topped the ARIA Charts in 2021 and earned itself Best Producer at the ARIA Awards, as well as a nomination for The Australian Music Prize. The band performed the albums focus track ‘Live In Life’ for Music From The Homefront, a TV special which honoured the sacrifice of both those who have fought on the front line and essential workers during COVID. The song has since been certified Double Platinum and amassed over 90 million streams globally. It was the #3 Australian streamed song of 2020 and further received an ARIA nomination for Song Of Year. To date, their entire catalogue has amassed over 350+ million streams and an impressive 250,00 physical albums.
Known for their incredible live performances and ability to lead crowd sing-a-longs, The Rubens performed their fifth studio album SODA to over 30,000 fans on their 28-date regional tour in 2024. In the wake of this, they were once again invited into the triple j Like A Version studio, this time performing a stirring version of Mazzy Star’s ‘Fade Into You’.
Now, off the back of a series of hit singles, including ‘Goanna’, ‘Are You Getting High’, ‘Love Me America’, ‘No Champagne’ and now ‘The Cannonball’, The Rubens set off on a massive 24-date national tour taking in regional, suburban and capital cities all over the country, to perform songs from Group Therapy, as well as all the fan favourites.
LISTEN TO THE RUBENS ‘GROUP THERAPY’
THE RUBENS
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