It was a bittersweet affair on March 28th at the Shrine in Los Angeles. Sweden’s Refused have broken up before, but this time, they are really breaking up forever. In case we had any doubts, the title of the tour suggested we accept the fact: The Refused Are Fucking Dead (And This Time We Mean It).
The venue was absolutely packed for this goodbye performance and the bands did not disappoint.
Slaughterhouse was out first to warm up the crowd for the epic night. There has been a lot of rising and falling buzz about this LA band the past few years, as well as lineup changes.
But, singer Meriel O’Connell succeeded at confidently commanding the stage and capturing the audience’s attention.
O’Connell obviously has pipes and she was the first of the night to advocate for social change by yelling “Free Palestine” between songs.
Performing what they call “death rock,” based on their shared love of horror movies, Slaughterhouse held their own as an opener for two headlining bands.
Up next were ‘90s post-hardcore legends, Quicksand from New York City. Like Refused, they’ve experienced their fair share of breakups and lineup changes.
However, singer Walter Schreifels, and bassist Sergio Vega are always a joy to see live and make the attendance of any Quicksand show well worth the price of admission.
Best known for their two major albums, “Slip” and “Manic Compression,” they played a selection of hits that kept the mosh pit going for their entire set and included “Fazer,” “Thorn in My Side,” “Supercollider,” “Omission,” “Unfulfilled,” “Phase 90,” “Landmine Spring,” and “Lie and Wait.”
Then the moment we all had waited for – Refused took the stage for the second to last time ever. Singer Dennis Lyxzen exploded onto the stage with his signature jumps, dances moves, and microphone throwing.
Lyxzen has always had the “It” factor and is consistently mesmerizing to watch. His unique vocal styles are both aggressive and experimental; truly a singer that has defined his own sound. Fresh off a serious heart attack just nine months ago, Lyxzen appeared to be the epitome of health. Just watching him throwing himself all over the stage was making me tired!
Refused have definitely pushed boundaries throughout their career and have left a lasting legacy with their blend of punk, hardcore, and experimental music. Their material has always been about rebellion against the system and being socially conscious, something we need in this world now more than ever.
Further cementing my belief that Lyxzen has the greatest scream in all of punk music, they played a good mix of popular singles where the crowd sung every word, and older tracks from the early ‘90s like “Soft.” It was a furiously hardcore song and the crowd went berserk. It was so wild in fact, a girl was lifted out of the front row and Lyxzen stopped the show to make sure she was okay and held her hand before she was helped out.
They took us through “Poetry Written in Gasoline,” “The Shape of Punk to Come,” “Rather Be Dead,” “Coup d’état,” “Liberation Frequency,” “The Deadly Rhythm” with some “Raining Blood” from Slayer, “Protest Song ’68,” and “New Noise.”
Refused briefly walked off stage before their encore – which included “Elektra” and “Refused Are Fucking Dead” – for a short break. When they returned, Lyxzen noticed a number of people had left and he said that they could all fuck off for not waiting.
It seems to me if you were seeing such an amazing band for the last time ever, you’d want to stick around. I certainly did and it was worth every second!
