Live Review: RÜFÜS, Hayden James, Crooked Colours - Enmore Theatre

Perth indie-electro trio, Crooked Colours, were the perfect warm-up act to get the young crowd going with their uplifting, driving beats. Singer Philip Slabber's voice gently built with the melodic In Your Bones, before picking up the pace and dropping some heavier, synth-filled numbers in Come Down and Moontan Nocturnal; all the while drummer Liam Merret-Park kept pumping out drum beats at an impressive speed.
Huge screams welcomed DJ Hayden James to the stage as a gaggle of girls jostled to the front. Flanked by two screens with a kaleidoscope of floral patterns and colourful visuals, his set quickly got the crowd bouncing on the dance floor. Track Beginnings opened the set, floating through the air with dreamy vocals and hit Permission To Love was the ideal closer, with a surprise guest appearance from fellow Sydneysider, Touch Sensitive, on bass.
The spunky and excitable crowd were now pumped and ready to dance by the time Sydney boys RÜFÜS took to the stage. Singer Tyrone Lindqvist appeared in a wisp of smoke, sporting a mop of cropped blond hair and leather jacket that gave him the appearance of a young Simon Le Bon. The trio got straight into a run of tracks from debut album, Atlas, with Modest Life starting proceedings before a mass sing-along for Sundream. The vocals could have packed a bit more punch to match the enthusiasm of the rest of the band and the crowd, but no one seemed to mind.
Colourful strobing lights pulsated along to the catchy Rendezvous before one of their first tracks, Paris Collides, transformed beautiful floating vocals into banging trance beats. Another earlier classic, This Summer, followed before the crowd erupted for epic dance hit, Tonight. The band expressed their delight at playing to a home crowd to huge whoops and cheers before being joined on stage by fellow local vocalist, Nicole Millar, for a rendition of Unforgiven.
Talk To Me was the standout track of the night, prompting keyboardist Jon George to leap into the crowd while still managing not to miss a note of his harmonica playing. Take Me finished the set, leaving everyone wondering what would make the encore. Swathed in blue light and smoke, the band returned for a clever mash-up cover of Foal's My Number and Booka Shade's Charlotte before finishing with Desert Night. A great set all up, but a little more passion wouldn't have gone amiss.