Australian band The Rubens with lead singer Sam Margin on the right.Credit:Chris Lane
Earlier this week,the band recorded a performance that will be broadcast as part of Saturday's Music From The Home Front concert,to pay respects to the Anzacs and recognise the work of frontline health care workers in Australia. It was the first time the band members had all been in the same place for two months.
"I honestly can't really think back to a time when we haven't seen each other for this long,"lead singer Sam Margin said."We had been recording up to the point we all had to go into isolation,so it's good to have this reason to get back into the studio,at a safe 1.5-metre distance,to record this."
The launch of what was to be their fourth studio album is now on hold,but they did release a single from the recording sessions to satiate fans'appetite for new music. The trackHeavy Weather was released on Tuesday and Margin said it was strange not being together to celebrate.
"Just not seeing the band members is hard,we are used to spending so much time on the road together. I would say most of the time when we are releasing something,on release day we are touring somewhere and we will watch how it is doing together,"he said."The group chat is going off,basically."
With the album release on hold and their biggest-ever national tour postponed,Margin and his band mates would be justified in feeling miffed by the situation. But he is surprisingly pragmatic about it.
"Because everyone is going through something at the same time I don't feel so disappointed,"he said.
The Rubens are joined on the concert line-up by a star-studded list of Australian musicians including Archie Roach,Courtney Barnett,Dean Lewis,Delta Goodrem,Emma Donovan,G Flip,James Morrison,Bliss N Eso,Lee Kernaghan,Marlon Williams,Kevin Parker of Tame Impala,Vance Joy and others.