Review: The Rions @ Hindley Street Music Hall 18/10/25
The Rions rekindle their Adelaide romance at the Hindley St Music Hall with a gig for the ages.
Words Satine Richmond // Images Henry Maurin
The Rions w/ixaras &The Fuss @ Hindley Street Music Hall 18/10/25
Before the first guitar chord even rang out, the energy outside Adelaide’s Hindley Street Music Hall was electric. The queue snaked around two blocks, tension thickening with each second as 40 minutes passed beyond the advertised door time. By the end of the night, that same energy had transformed into communal, sweaty and emotional euphoria. The Rions didn’t just play a show; they built a shared experience that reminded everyone why live music feels sacred.
The first opening act, The Fuss, a four-piece band from Adelaide, burst on stage with hair-flipping rock energy, instantly commanding the room. Their set opener, ‘Lay It Out’, encouraged the crowd to jump and dance from the get-go. Neon pink and blue lights floated between the band as they set a tone that was youthful and unrestrained.
The second opener, ixaras, took the stage with an infectious energy, leaning coolly against the mic stand. She grinned as she announced a track with a cheeky, “This one’s called ‘Do You Like Girls’,” to which a voice from the crowd yelled back, “Yes!” with unmistakable enthusiasm. ixaras delivered a tight set of bright, punchy pop-rock songs, blending catchy hooks with an enthralling stage presence, ensuring the audience was warmed up and ready for The Rions’ headlining set.
By the time The Rions emerged one by one, the crowd took the night’s anticipation and transformed it into pure energy. Without hesitation, the band exploded into ‘Welcome to the Conversation’ with a rush of drums that filled every corner of the venue. Lead vocalist Noah Blockley’s voice carried a grit and confidence that shone on stage, cutting through the layered instrumentation.
When the stage went dark, the silence only lasted for a second before the room was illuminated again with streaking blue lights that signalled the start of ‘Shut You Out’. In its final chorus, the band stripped away instruments completely, exempting a strong drum beat, leaving hundreds of voices to sing the lyrics back at them.
A single spotlight fell on guitarist Asher Mclean as he introduced their 2022 single ‘Anakin’, which was greeted by instant recognition. Each song bled effortlessly into the next, balancing energy and emotion with ease. The crowd only got more and more chaotic as the set went on, jumping and waving hands in sync with the beat.
Vocalist and bassist Noah Blockley leaned into the microphone, catching his breath with a grin. “Jet Engine City!” he yelled over the waves of noise. “Do we have your attention, everybody?” he called out, only to be drowned out yet again by the deafening roar of a very eager audience. “We’ve been waiting for this show since the second we walked off the stage last time. But there’s so many more of you!” He explained that a few songs off the album had been born in this very city.
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Between songs, guitarist Harley Wilson shared an experience from Adelaide. He spoke about playing Grapevine Festival two years previously, when a spontaneous night out with drummer Tom Partridge’s cousin led him to “the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.” There was a laugh from the crowd as he recalled asking if she was someone’s girlfriend, only to be told, “I’m gay.” That encounter would inspire ‘Scumbag’, written just 23 days later. “So I’m thinking,” he said, looking up at the crowd, “I’m officially cooked.” The first notes of ‘Scumbag’ rang out, and the audience immediately sang along, fully immersed in the song’s raw confession. ‘Maybe I'm Just A Freak’ followed, a one-two punch of vulnerability that hit the crowd like a wave, leaving everyone completely immersed in the performance.
Blockley then paused between songs to say it loud and clear: “Toxic masculinity does not belong at a Rions’ show,” his voice steady and sure. The cheers that followed in agreement were deafening, drowning out his announcement of “This is ‘Cry’.” Re-igniting the crowd with a rush of adrenaline, the opening riff of ‘Night Light’ sent a shockwave through the room. From the first chorus onwards, the floor was a blur of movement and sound. Just moments ago, fans had been swaying quietly, but now they were jumping, shouting, and dancing, completely swept up by the rush of the band’s most exciting hit.
Just when it seemed the crowd hit its peak, The Rions brought it all down. The lights dimmed, the chatter softened and the first chords of ‘Oh How Hard It Is To Be 20’ floated through the air. Gone was the jumping and shouting; instead people swayed together, eyes glassy as one by one. Fans raised their phones to add to the sea of lights glowing back at the band. The air was thick with feeling, and you could see the emotion ripple across the stage and into the crowd.
Suddenly, the tempo lifted again to accommodate ‘Lobby Calls’, a clear fan favourite off their debut album Everything Every Single Day. The song’s infectious rhythm and deeply layered backing vocals had the floor bouncing once again, like a collective exhale after the ache of the previous track. The pit was alive with bodies jumping, phones waving and voices rising above the speakers, and by the time ‘Scary Movies' arrived, Hindley St felt like it might lift off the ground. The energy had built to an unstoppable rush, the chorus swelling into something joyous and feverish.
When the final claps had ceased, Blockley gripped the mic, looking out over the sea of sweaty, joy-lit fans. “I’ve been waiting to play this song specifically to this room for a year and a half. I do wanna dedicate this song to Adelaide.” The slower tempo and softer instrumentation of ‘Adelaide’ created a reflective pause, giving the audience a moment to catch their breath while soaking in the personal dedication to the city.
When they left the stage, the crowd refused to move, chanting for an encore until The Rions returned to a thundering applause with ‘Minivan’. Every lyric was shouted back until Blockley could only grin and admit, “I really don’t want to walk off this stage.” Luckily, the night didn’t have to end just yet as they kicked into ‘Tonight’s Entertainment’.
It was a fantastically put-together set, with old and new songs scattered throughout. The seamless flow between high-energy anthems and more introspective songs like ‘Cry’ and ‘Oh How Hard It Is To Be 20’ kept the audience engaged from start to finish. By the final note, it was clear that The Rions have crafted a live experience that is both exhilarating and emotionally resonant, leaving the audience buzzing long after the show had ended.
Want more pics of the gig? Check out our full photo gallery here.
