Interview | The Rubens

They sold out their first UK show, have a highly anticipated album en route and have been gallivanting around America, so it is fair to say it is a crazily busy time for The Rubens.

We recently had a chat with Elliott Margin from The Rubens to make sure they aren’t causing too much havoc while finding out how they kept themselves occupied whilst stranded at an airport and most importantly … what would be in a Rubens cocktail?

Hey guys! Exciting times at the moment for you. What has been your highlight so far?

Topping the Triple J Hottest 100 was pretty special for us. We were hoping we would do well, but never expected to do that well.

How does it feel to have sold out your first UK show? Were you aware of your presence overseas?

We had no idea we had any kind of following in the UK so selling out our headline show was a big surprise. We played some shows over there for the first record a few years ago, but nothing this size. We can’t wait to get over there!

Will you follow it up with a tour? Who would you like to head out on tour with?

We’d love to get some touring done over there if we can, the more shows we get to play and people we get to reach the better. We are big fans of Royal Blood, we’ve been lucky enough to see them live a few times and they’re solid as hell. Touring with them would be awesome.

You have spent some time in America. What did you get up to when you weren’t performing? Did you get a chance to meet any of the US fans?

We spent quite a lot of time in LA this trip which was sweet, we managed to get to Six Flags on a day off and rode rollercoasters until it closed. We had so much fun that we bought annual passes.

After every show we try to hang around and meet fans when we can, we got to do a lot of that in the US this trip. It’s nice to connect with people off the stage too.

Your album is out next month. What can we expect from it?

It’s punchier and more hard-hitting than the first record. There’s more RnB elements sneaking in as well. We’re really proud of this one. It feels like it’s been a long wait to get it out in the UK so we’re really excited to finally release it!

Your video for ‘Hoops’ is quite an interesting concept. How much involvement did you have in that? What was the idea behind it?

A bunch of directors pitched their ideas after we showed them the song, this one really jumped out at us. We prefer music videos that are nice to look at and not necessarily narratives, videos that are more visually engaging rather than telling a story. The video for ‘Hoops’ fits that bill I think. The viewer can get deep into what they think it means or they can just sit back and enjoy the trippiness.

‘Hoops’ went platinum, how did you celebrate? Do you each get a framed disc?

I think we were all in separate places when we got the email saying ‘Hoops’ went platinum so we didn’t get to all have a celebration at that moment, we probably had a few beers the next time we were together I’m sure. We did get some platinum records which is cool! That’s something I don’t think we ever thought we would achieve when we started the band. A bit of a pinch yourself moment.

How did you keep yourselves occupied when you were stuck at the airport?

We were all really low on sleep at that point so we spent a good portion of time napping. Apart from that, I think we sat at the bar and felt sorry for ourselves haha. Not the most exciting day on the tour!

It seems you do a lot of travelling. How do you cope with the long journeys?

It’s always good to have new music to keep you occupied. Right now I’m into Anderson .Paak who is wicked. Also, podcasts like This American Life are great when you run out of music.

Most importantly…what would be the ultimate The Rubens cocktail?

We’re usually beer drinking fellas but when we do make the jump we love Margheritas!

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