ArtistDirect News
The Rubens Announce Sixth Album Group Therapy and 14-Date Australian Tour
The Rubens have revealed their sixth studio effort, Group Therapy, alongside a 14‑date national tour that kicks off on 16 October in Sydney’s City Recital Hall and closes on 12 December in Wagga Wagga. The tour will take the band to every major capital, regional hub and suburban venue across New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia, underscoring the group’s long‑standing commitment to audiences beyond the metropolis.
Group Therapy drops on the same day the tour begins, with the first single, “Love Me America,” already in circulation. The track opens with a wall of guitars that gradually thins into intimate acoustic lines before swelling into a full‑band crescendo. Lead vocalist Sam Margin describes the song as “a love song to America, but not a simple one,” noting how it balances the promise of the U.S. market with the realities of ambition and distance. Keyboardist Elliott Margin echoes that sentiment, stressing the durability of the band’s relationship with the States despite the challenges of establishing a lasting presence there. The Rubens have recently returned to America for performances and recording collaborations, working with Run The Jewels affiliates Little Shalimar and Wilder Zoby and Chicago rapper Vic Mensa.
The itinerary is deliberately wide‑ranging. After the opening Sydney show, the band will perform at Adelaide’s The Gov, Mt Gambier’s The Globe Hotel, Coolum’s Black Flag Brewing, Brisbane’s The Tivoli, D’Aguilar’s D’Ag Pub, Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal, Melbourne’s Forum, Barwon Heads Hotel, Hobart’s Odeon Theatre, Forth Pub, Fremantle’s Freo Social, Margaret River’s The River, and will finish in Wagga Wagga’s Romano’s. SELVE, fronted by Jabirr‑Jabirr singer Loki Liddle, will back The Rubens on every date except those in Western Australia.
Ticket pricing has been calibrated with the current cost‑of‑living environment in mind, the band said, aiming to keep live shows affordable while extending the circuit beyond the major capitals. Details are available on the band’s official website.
Formed in Menangle, New South Wales, in 2011, The Rubens comprise brothers Sam, Elliott and Izaac Margin, along with Scott Baldwin and William Zeglis. Their self‑titled debut reached No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart in 2012. Hoops (2015) debuted at No. 2 and earned multi‑platinum certification. LO LA RU (2018) peaked at No. 3 and produced the APRA Rock Work of the Year winner “Never Ever.” The 2021 release 0202 topped the ARIA Albums Chart, and SODA (2024) was followed by a 28‑date regional Australian tour that drew more than 30,000 attendees.
With Group Therapy, the band turns 16 and expands its catalogue to six studio albums, a string of festival appearances, international touring and multiple ARIA‑certified singles. The new album and tour reinforce The Rubens’ established touring model, which places regional audiences at the core of the national circuit.
Looking ahead, the band will focus on the 16 October release of Group Therapy and the 14‑date tour that will conclude in Wagga Wagga on 12 December. While no official word has been given, the possibility of additional dates beyond the current schedule remains on the table.
Group Therapy drops on the same day the tour begins, with the first single, “Love Me America,” already in circulation. The track opens with a wall of guitars that gradually thins into intimate acoustic lines before swelling into a full‑band crescendo. Lead vocalist Sam Margin describes the song as “a love song to America, but not a simple one,” noting how it balances the promise of the U.S. market with the realities of ambition and distance. Keyboardist Elliott Margin echoes that sentiment, stressing the durability of the band’s relationship with the States despite the challenges of establishing a lasting presence there. The Rubens have recently returned to America for performances and recording collaborations, working with Run The Jewels affiliates Little Shalimar and Wilder Zoby and Chicago rapper Vic Mensa.
The itinerary is deliberately wide‑ranging. After the opening Sydney show, the band will perform at Adelaide’s The Gov, Mt Gambier’s The Globe Hotel, Coolum’s Black Flag Brewing, Brisbane’s The Tivoli, D’Aguilar’s D’Ag Pub, Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal, Melbourne’s Forum, Barwon Heads Hotel, Hobart’s Odeon Theatre, Forth Pub, Fremantle’s Freo Social, Margaret River’s The River, and will finish in Wagga Wagga’s Romano’s. SELVE, fronted by Jabirr‑Jabirr singer Loki Liddle, will back The Rubens on every date except those in Western Australia.
Ticket pricing has been calibrated with the current cost‑of‑living environment in mind, the band said, aiming to keep live shows affordable while extending the circuit beyond the major capitals. Details are available on the band’s official website.
Formed in Menangle, New South Wales, in 2011, The Rubens comprise brothers Sam, Elliott and Izaac Margin, along with Scott Baldwin and William Zeglis. Their self‑titled debut reached No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart in 2012. Hoops (2015) debuted at No. 2 and earned multi‑platinum certification. LO LA RU (2018) peaked at No. 3 and produced the APRA Rock Work of the Year winner “Never Ever.” The 2021 release 0202 topped the ARIA Albums Chart, and SODA (2024) was followed by a 28‑date regional Australian tour that drew more than 30,000 attendees.
With Group Therapy, the band turns 16 and expands its catalogue to six studio albums, a string of festival appearances, international touring and multiple ARIA‑certified singles. The new album and tour reinforce The Rubens’ established touring model, which places regional audiences at the core of the national circuit.
Looking ahead, the band will focus on the 16 October release of Group Therapy and the 14‑date tour that will conclude in Wagga Wagga on 12 December. While no official word has been given, the possibility of additional dates beyond the current schedule remains on the table.