Being so far away from the rest of the world, Australia misses out on many tours, meaning a lot of fans don’t get a chance to see the farewell concerts of some of their favourite bands.
Lovers of Swedish hardcore band Refused didn’t have to suffer this same fate though. When the five-piece called it quits in the late 90s, many fans felt ripped off, or like a part of them was missing, and assumed they’d never get a chance to see the iconic rockers again.
Recently, not only did Refused decide to get back together for a final world tour but also promised to bring said tour down under.
On the Sydney leg of their Aussie tour, local band Endless Heights opened, making the most of their awesome opportunity.
They played a tight, energetic set, beaming with enthusiasm. The boys from the five-piece band couldn’t hide how excited they were were to have been handpicked by the headliners – showing their gratification by taking countless photos during their set.
The anticipation was building to a boiling point before Refused came out. The stage was blacked out and covered by a black banner featuring only the band’s name. This built up curiosity, as well as excitement.
After what seemed like hours, Dennis Lyxzen’s voice could finally be heard as he launched into “The Shape Of Punk To Come”. The crowd couldn’t hold back their excitement. Even those who had seating tickets stood. There was no fancy lighting or tricks like many bands have nowadays, it was basic and raw; and the crowd loved every minute of it.
It’s easy for bands that return after a long break to destroy their legacy. They’ll often trash their music and play passionless sets. But this wasn’t the case for Refused; they played the songs like they would have back in the early days, with passion and energy.
As the set rolled on, fans finally got a chance to sing along (or rather, scream along) to numbers like “The Refused Party Program”, “Liberation Frequency”, and “Rather Be Dead”.
Before the band played “Summerholidays vs. Punkroutine” they apologized for not coming over here sooner, mentioning that if they’d played in 1998 they would have played at a small place to a handful of people rather than a great venue like the Enmore Theatre.
They played hit after hit and the crowd, who were losing their voices, were covered in sweat and lived every moment of the monumental set.
The winning moment came when Refused came back out for their encore playing crowd favourite, “New Noise”. An incredibly tight set and well worth the 14 year wait.
