Rudimental: Live at The Olympia

The all-singing, all-dancing, musical carnival they call Rudimental rolled into Dublin last Monday for a sold-out show that will live long in the collective memory of the sold-out Olympia crowd.

Having only released their debut album Home in April 2013, the Hackney foursome are already no strangers to the top of the charts, but it’s in the live arena where Rudimental do their best work. Chaotic, ramshackle and carefree, there’s a real house-party vibe from the first beat to the last, but behind all the madness we’re dealing a savvy group of musicians here.

Central to the group’s success so far is their knack for choosing up-and-coming guest vocalists, with Sam Smith and John Newman already catapulted towards mainstream stardom. And Monday was no different as three impressive unknown vocalists took turns spreading the love throughout.

Energetic and street-smart, the vocally stunning Anne-Marie is right where she belongs; while we can expect to see a lot more of Bridgett Amofah whose icy stare and fierce delivery took tracks like new single ‘Powerless’ and the all-conquering ‘Waiting All Night’ to new levels of ecstasy. The cooler than cool Drake-like Tom Jules wasn’t bad either!

Not to be outdone, the Rudimental four also played a blinder. Piers, Kesi and the spoon-playing Amir all had no qualms deserting their stations with reckless abandon to come party out front with the unflappable and charming DJ Locksmith, who gave an A1 performance as hype-man and orchestrator, corralling the ecstatic crowd throughout with choreographed dance moves and huge sing-alongs.

The night was a real journey – not in a Sigur Ros, life-affirming way– but an ass shaking, fist-pumping, euphoric adventure fuelled by seductive soul, ‘70s disco, Balearic house, Chicago electro, garage, funk and, of course, enough drum ‘n’ bass drops to last a lifetime.

It’s been a stellar last 18 months for British dance-pop artists with Disclosure leading the pack, but as the dancing security guard (legend!) on the balcony will no doubt testify, the Rudimental posse are right up there too.

With the MCD heavyweights clearly digging the vibe, and other festival bookers in attendance,