RÜFÜS DU SOL live at Poble Espanyol: Euphoria mixed with raw emotions

As the sun was setting behind the buildings of Barcelona’s scenic Poble Espanyol on the evening of June 10th, the atmosphere buzzed with a kind of hushed anticipation and excitement for RÜFÜS DU SOL’s first stop on the European leg of their ‘Inhale/Exhale’ world tour, also kicking off the OFFSónar week. You could physically feel the sky-high expectations from the audience, and those looking closely would have noticed some of the band members sneaking a peek at the crowd during the opening set by Weval, breathing in some of that magic.

Photo Credit: Camila Cabral

A steady stream of deep, melodic grooves—including Fairmont’s hypnotic ‘Plastic Head TV’ and Jimi Jules’ ‘Human Rights’—kept us on our toes between the two live acts, building an almost cinematic tension before the Australian trio finally emerged on stage to deafening cheers. And from that point, there was no holding back.

RÜFÜS DU SOL delivered a performance that felt more like a collective exhale than a concert. From the first note, it was clear the night would be a journey, as they crafted an arc that moved seamlessly between dance-floor energy and introspective beauty. Tracks like ‘You Were Right’ and ‘Sundream’ pulsed with warmth, carried by crisp live percussion and the band’s distinctive vocal layers.

Newer material from their ‘Inhale/Exhale’ era—such as ‘Lately,’ ‘Breathe,’ and the sweeping ‘Next to Me’—was woven into the set, showing the band’s evolution without losing the emotional core fans have come to crave.

The production also lived up to expectations, giving each member of the trio their own station to work their magic. Towering LED visuals rippled across the stage like liquid light, giving shape to the music’s emotional textures, at times giving us the sensation of being inside a shared dream. The crowd was an ocean of relaxed smiles and swaying silhouettes, entirely in sync and radiating the peaceful, joyful energy that characterizes a RÜFÜS fan.

But despite the scale of the production and the audience, the show somehow felt intimate and vulnerable. Maybe it was the way Tyrone Lindqvist’s voice cracked—just slightly—on the opening lines of ‘Underwater,’ or how Jon George was a millimeter away from dropping his drumstick after riskily flipping it into the air, that proved how much the night also meant to the band.

It became clear that the end was near when the melancholic first chords of the heart-wrenching ‘Innerbloom’ began to play, and the night reached its emotional climax as the entire Plaza Mayor chanted “If you want me, if you need me, I’m yours” as one. The goosebumps were undeniable, and more than one person had to blink away a few stubborn tears while applauding as the band—rather quickly—stepped off the stage. There was a brief moment where we all looked at each other with a pit in our stomachs, not wanting to believe that the night could be over just yet.
And of course, it wasn’t.

When the encore came, it hit with both force and familiarity. ‘Break My Love’ and ‘No Place’ sent waves through the audience, and the euphoric rush of ‘Music is Better’ nearly tore the roof off as the crowd threw their hands in the air and danced their hearts out for the final few minutes of the show.

Walking out into the warm Barcelona night and stumbling down Montjuïc in search of a cab, people were beaming with emotion. Strangers approached each other, discussing what their highlight of the show had been—but there was one thing we all agreed on: this comeback was everything we had ever hoped for.