Refused @ The Palace Theatre, Melbourne (15/11/2012)
When I was growing up and discovering punk and hardcore bands, Refused were one that I got introduced to fairly early on. I was shown the video clip for Rather Be Dead, and since then, they were a band that I loved, but realised I would never have the chance to see.
After breaking up in 1998, and after years of saying they would never reform, the band got back together and played Coachella this year, before announcing this Australian tour and some other major festivals.
When the reunion was announced, there was a significant amount of backlash from the more vocal members of the punk community, claiming that Refused had sold out on their strong DIY beliefs. While that’s true, they are a completely different band to the one that broke up fourteen years ago. It hasn’t just been a change in venue and crowd size, but an entire shift in their maturity and way of thinking. Coming from basement shows and tiny crowds, Refused have taken that and turned themselves into one of the tightest, most impressive live bands I’ve ever seen. Their live show has much more in common with The Strokes or The Hives than it does any punk band you’ve ever seen, with the band all dressed in nice suits and having some of the most impressive stage moves going around.
Breaking up not long after the release of the (now) classic album The Shape Of Punk To Come, Refused never really got a chance to bring this album to the crowds that they deserved to play to. Both Melbourne shows were completely sold out, and The Palace seemed to be packed to absolute capacity.
Opening with The Shape Of Punk To Come, a giant curtain fell down as the song kicked in, and the crowd erupted. The band sounded so much heavier and tighter than I had ever imagined they would, and every single minute of their set just blew away my expectations. Next up was Refused Party Program, and this stepped up the energy and the crowd even further.
Dennis Lyxzen is easily one of the best front men I’ve ever seen live. I am lucky enough to have seen him perform with AC4, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, and even Bloody Beetroots, but this was by far the best I had ever seen him live. His vocals were flawless the whole set, and they sounded much better than any old set I had ever seen on the internet. Sliding around the stage, doing ridiculous mic swings and climbing on a stack of fold backs, every single thing he did just seemed effortless. There was no shyness or awkwardness, there was only the performance, and he definitely delivered.
While most of Refused’s set list came from The Shape Of Punk To Come, there were quite a few older songs thrown in as well. Rather Be Dead was a highlight, and was significantly heavier than on album. Tearing through the classics such as Liberation Frequency and The Deadly Rhythm, the band somehow made these iconic punk songs sound infinitely better than they ever had before.
When the band walked back onto the stage for their encore, it was to deafening applause, and they seemed genuinely happy to be playing the show. As soon as the iconic intro riff from New Noise kicked in, the crowd exploded, and everyone yelling out ‘can I scream’ at the top of their lungs is probably one of the loudest things I’ve ever heard.
In the biggest surprise of the night, refused finished the evening with Tannhäuser / Derivè. Out of all the songs they have written, this was definitely the one I was least expecting to see live, but it was probably my favourite song they played.
Refused aren’t the same band that broke up fourteen years ago, but in their case, that is definitely a good thing. Rather than being a bunch of angry, awkward hardcore kids, they’re a bunch of adults playing songs from one of the most influential hardcore albums of all time, performing like they really want to be on that stage.
Outside the venue after the show, a very drunk friend called Dennis the Mick Jagger of punk rock, and I would definitely have to agree. The band played on a whole other level, and I really pity anyone who missed out on a chance to see them this tour, because we’re most likely never going to get that chance again.
Josh Mitrou
After breaking up in 1998, and after years of saying they would never reform, the band got back together and played Coachella this year, before announcing this Australian tour and some other major festivals.
When the reunion was announced, there was a significant amount of backlash from the more vocal members of the punk community, claiming that Refused had sold out on their strong DIY beliefs. While that’s true, they are a completely different band to the one that broke up fourteen years ago. It hasn’t just been a change in venue and crowd size, but an entire shift in their maturity and way of thinking. Coming from basement shows and tiny crowds, Refused have taken that and turned themselves into one of the tightest, most impressive live bands I’ve ever seen. Their live show has much more in common with The Strokes or The Hives than it does any punk band you’ve ever seen, with the band all dressed in nice suits and having some of the most impressive stage moves going around.
Breaking up not long after the release of the (now) classic album The Shape Of Punk To Come, Refused never really got a chance to bring this album to the crowds that they deserved to play to. Both Melbourne shows were completely sold out, and The Palace seemed to be packed to absolute capacity.
Opening with The Shape Of Punk To Come, a giant curtain fell down as the song kicked in, and the crowd erupted. The band sounded so much heavier and tighter than I had ever imagined they would, and every single minute of their set just blew away my expectations. Next up was Refused Party Program, and this stepped up the energy and the crowd even further.
Dennis Lyxzen is easily one of the best front men I’ve ever seen live. I am lucky enough to have seen him perform with AC4, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, and even Bloody Beetroots, but this was by far the best I had ever seen him live. His vocals were flawless the whole set, and they sounded much better than any old set I had ever seen on the internet. Sliding around the stage, doing ridiculous mic swings and climbing on a stack of fold backs, every single thing he did just seemed effortless. There was no shyness or awkwardness, there was only the performance, and he definitely delivered.
While most of Refused’s set list came from The Shape Of Punk To Come, there were quite a few older songs thrown in as well. Rather Be Dead was a highlight, and was significantly heavier than on album. Tearing through the classics such as Liberation Frequency and The Deadly Rhythm, the band somehow made these iconic punk songs sound infinitely better than they ever had before.
When the band walked back onto the stage for their encore, it was to deafening applause, and they seemed genuinely happy to be playing the show. As soon as the iconic intro riff from New Noise kicked in, the crowd exploded, and everyone yelling out ‘can I scream’ at the top of their lungs is probably one of the loudest things I’ve ever heard.
In the biggest surprise of the night, refused finished the evening with Tannhäuser / Derivè. Out of all the songs they have written, this was definitely the one I was least expecting to see live, but it was probably my favourite song they played.
Refused aren’t the same band that broke up fourteen years ago, but in their case, that is definitely a good thing. Rather than being a bunch of angry, awkward hardcore kids, they’re a bunch of adults playing songs from one of the most influential hardcore albums of all time, performing like they really want to be on that stage.
Outside the venue after the show, a very drunk friend called Dennis the Mick Jagger of punk rock, and I would definitely have to agree. The band played on a whole other level, and I really pity anyone who missed out on a chance to see them this tour, because we’re most likely never going to get that chance again.
Josh Mitrou