The Rubens performed a stellar show at the Horsham Town Hall

The alternative rock band from NSW has built a mountain of Australian hits since bursting onto the scene in 2011 with "Lay it Down".

Ahead of their performance I was fortunate enough to speak with Rubens front man Sam Margin after some friends and I (all Rubens fans) randomly encountered the band outside the Exchange Hotel on Thursday afternoon.

READ MORE:

The band members and support acts Ashwarya and Stevan were extremely friendly and when I asked for an interview Margin was all too happy to give me a few minutes of his time.

The 33-year-old said he was looking forward to entertaining the Horsham crowd.

"We did Hamilton last night, the first show of the tour," Margin said.

"Horsham seems like there's a bit more energy in the streets. It feels like there's a few more people here.

"Last night was great but I think this is more of a vibe. I think it's quite similar to where we grew up as well. We were just saying it looks like the main street of Camden, where we grew up.

"So it's familiar in a nice way."

The disruptive nature of the past two years has been tough on everyone, especially the music industry.

Margin was visibly thrilled to discuss performing in front of live crowds again.

"Part of our job is writing and recording and that's fun, but the funnest part is playing and not having that for two years was pretty rough," he said.

"So yeah everyone's pretty psyched, the whole group."

Before Horsham the band had played three shows in 2022.

Although you would assume they might be a bit out of practise, Margin said the band was "feeling like the muscle memory's come back".

"They're not low key shows but in country towns the vibe's just a bit more interactive and chill," he added.

"It's not so, there's us on a stage, there's a barrier and there's everyone else. There's people yelling out stuff having a laugh, I'll get in the audience and sing some songs.

"I don't have to stress about it I can actually just enjoy the show from start to finish."

After our chat I thanked Margin and the rest of the group, who were also kind enough to let us take a photo with them.

Fast-forward to 9pm - after rousing performances from Ashwarya and Stevan - the Rubens put on a mesmerising show that would have drawn a crowd anywhere in the country.

They found the balance between playing hits and new tracks and made an effort to positively interact (physically and verbally) with an energetic and entertained Horsham crowd.

Although there was slight concern that they had finished their set without playing renowned hit "Hoops" the band returned for an encore to play their famous tune and one other song; by which time everyone had stood up.

MORE NEWS:

One passionate fan in the crowd was even invited up on stage for a selfie with Margin.

A special mention must go to drummer Scott Baldwin who gifted his drumstick to one of my friends - who he had noticed was wearing the same shirt as him, earlier at the Exchange.

The Rubens performance exceeded the high expectations I had set, but what was even more impressive than their musical talent was their humble attitude and the way they made time for their fans.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: