Images: @neasansucks
The Entertainment Centre stadium lit up in shades of grey, white, and blue last night as global electronic group RÜFÜS DU SOL – Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George, and James Hunt – brought their Inhale/Exhale tour to the Adelaide stage. Riding high on the release of their fifth album Inhale / Exhale last month, the trio’s global run has been marked by breathtaking visuals, immersive production, and a pure connection to their audience.
Despite a career spanning over a decade, their energy, the genuine care, and the want to perform, was all wrapped up in an under-two-hour set that’s now permanently etched in my memory.
Support act Samuel George (SG) Lewis, the English singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer, led with his smooth, melodic house set.
Then came the moment. The set kicked off with Inhale, also the first song off their new album, the perfect entryway into pure electronic euphoria. Lindqvist hit the vocals, his tone building with intensity as the song bled seamlessly into Lately. The setlist moved like a tide between eras. I wasn’t holding my breath about hearing You Were Right or Sundream, but they soon followed, and the crowd lost it.
You Were Right, a hit from their 2016 album Bloom, might not reach Innerbloom’s cult-like status, but it’s impossible not to move to (and return to when handed an aux). Then Sundream, even more of a relic from their 2014 Atlas era, hit with that nostalgic, sun-filled joy. It feels lighter and more carefree than their newer material, which perfectly balanced the otherwise icy, ethereal stadium atmosphere.
Surrender brought the first burst of confetti, a snowstorm erupting from the roof, bathing the stadium in white.
Then James Hunt took to the mic, his face caught in red light. “We’ve had some amazing memories, and to be here in front of you guys is so, so special,” he said. He went on to share that Adelaide was the first major city they ever sold out. The lights shifted from icy blue to deep red, matching the warmth of the moment.
The crowd danced to the tracks and bounced off the bass as if pulled by invisible strings. People came in groups, couples, even families, but everyone seemed lost in their own mind (which coincidentally happens to be a track off their Solace album). When Lindqvist sang “I see myself in your eyes”, it felt like a collective trance, everyone wrapped in his vocals. No pushing or shoving, rare for a mosh of that size. Just thousands of people completely immersed, souls escaping the stadium walls and entering something close to electronic utopia.
Treat You Better had everyone reconnect with each other again. Phone lights filled the room, illuminating faces hugging, swaying, belting the lyrics to each other.
Then it arrived. When the first trinkets of synth filtered through the air, the familiar ripples of Innerbloom, the atmosphere shifted again. Gasps filled the crowd as everyone faced the stage. Of course everyone knew it was coming, but what threw me off was that it arrived right in the middle of the setlist. A song of such gravity, such a core part of the RÜFÜS identity, tucked between their other tracks. Even though I’ve heard it a thousand times before – even once beachfront in forty-degree heat as the sun set – it will never get old. The climax, that point where the vocals return and everything swells, still sends chills and cues tears. The crowd stood suspended in the moment, completely overwhelmed.
When it ended, the trio walked offstage briefly before returning for the encore, diving straight into Break My Love, No Place, and finally Music Is Better, bookmarking the show with hits from Inhale / Exhale. By then, the lights had reached hysteria – violet, pink, and blue beams darting through the smoke as Lindqvist leaned into the crowd, grabbing hands, smiling, completely present and feeding off the energy.
It’s probably an unwritten rule for artists to say they love the city they’re playing in and to thank the crowd, but this felt sincere. Lindqvist, George, and Hunt each spoke directly to the audience and thanked them.
As the final burst of white confetti cannoned from the front and coated the audience, everyone jumped and danced one last time. I left hyped. The energy, the magic of EDM, the euphoria. I wanted more. The night reminded me why live music matters, and its power to connect and to make you feel that words can’t fully describe.
RÜFÜS DU SOL has always been more than just electronic music. There’s a song for every season of life, every energy level, every mood. And looking around at the eclectic mix of people in the audience – old fans, young faces, and everyone in between – it’s clear that their music transcends taste and any other divisive construct.
“Thank you, Adelaide.” Thank you, RÜFÜS DU SOL. Encore.
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