RuelOn the night of Ruel's Brisbane show, the line to the door of the Tivoli consists almost exclusively of girls in their early teens, and parents wearing nervous expressions. They come expecting a selection of love songs – the kind that shoot young male artists to the top of the charts on a wave of female affection. It comes as a surprise, then, to find that the opening act is nothing of the sort.
Rapper Genesis Owusu wins over the adolescent fans with heavy beats and energetic dance moves, while their parents gravitate slowly towards the bar. Owusu is joined by a group of men in red morph suits, the visual spectacle captured by no less than 300 mobile phones, and their confidence has the crowd enthralled. Despite seeming like an unusual fit for such a young crowd, Owusu makes the best of his opportunity with tracks Void and Sideways. The rapper's set bears no resemblance to the main act's emotive tunes, but the noise from the crowd suggests he may have won a few new fans.
The shadow of a 16-year-old frame sends the crowd into a frenzy and a sea of mobile phones shoot up to capture the moment. At this point several young ears may already be damaged beyond repair, but no sound can compare to the moment Ruel emerges from a radioactive protection suit. He launches straight into his breakout hit Don't Tell Me and seems immediately comfortable on stage, bolstered by the sound of hundreds of young girls singing along.
Many of the tunes follow the lead of the opening number, morphing from soulful ballads into party starters. Through Golden Years and Not Thinkin' Bout You, the music draws the crowd in closer, and the lyrics get lost beneath their screams. The same is true of set highlights Younger, Painkiller, and his Like A Version cover of Jack Garratt's Weathered, and as time goes on, any single moment free from prepubescent shrieking is a blessing. A melancholy ballad like Say is the young performer's best chance at hushing the crowd and making his voice heard, as well as allowing his back-up singers and their beautifully complex harmonies to shine.
A combination of well-written tracks, youthful energy, and a band worth its weight in gold makes Ruel a spectacle worth watching. This is only the beginning of his career, but judging by the two pairs of underwear tossed from the crowd onto the stage as parting gifts, things are going well.
