Let’s not shy away from facts, I’m always excited about heading to the Forum. It’s unequivocally my favourite venue in Melbourne so spending a Saturday night at the Forum with live music is about as good as it can get…
Having arrived about halfway through the first support act of the evening, I managed to catch some of Ali Barter‘s performance for the evening. From the few tracks I heard, it seemed to be a bit of a subtle way to kick off the evening but I’m intrigued enough to have another listen.
Up until this evening, Walk the Moon was a name I’d come across but there would have been no way of associating a sound or track with these guys. Their performance as the second support proved that I was, well, ignorant to have ignored them. Hailing from Ohio, these guys were a burst of energy from their first moments on stage. Think upbeat indie pop rock tunes, quirky personalities, face paint and band members that rarely stand still on stage, and you’ve pretty much got it. They seemed pretty happy to be gracing the stage, and the crowd willingly obliged with participation as requested on ‘Quesadilla’ (and apparently we had good rhythm – of course!) and ‘I Can Lift a Car’. Also loved the cover of ‘Burning Down the House’ (check out a version here). Must get my hands on this album…and soon.
Walk the Moon @ The Forum
So then it was time for The Rubens, all the way from Menangle to take the stage in Melbourne for their second night at the Forum opening ‘The Day you Went Away’ to roaring applause. With a couple of new tracks thrown into the mix (very cool sounds), and a few crowd pleasers including ‘The Best We’ve Got’, it was about halfway through the set when I got to hear my fave track ‘Look Good, Feel Good’ (so good live!). Unsurprisingly, the loudest singalong was delivered by an enthusiastic crowd for ‘My Gun’ during the encore. Stepping back from the stage (more so to avoid the annoying chatty types…), you realise what a vastly spacious and intimidating venue this can be but The Rubens had no problem owning the stage that night…with some pretty spectacular lighting to boot.
The Rubens @ The Forum
