Despite releasing the critically acclaimed ‘The Shape of Punk to Come’ 27 years ago, the love for REFUSED has not waivered; an album that continues to pave the way for emerging hard noise acts and inspire future generations.
After a recent resurgence with single ‘New Noise’ being used in The Bear and cited as inspirations by huge names such as The 1975’s Matty Healy, the four piece have come to round off their legacy with a huge run of shows across the globe, which now makes its way to the U.K. They are joined by fellow post-hardcore darlings Quicksand to celebrate not just REFUSED but the scene that inspired so many, and pass the baton to future pioneers of the genre.
On a drizzly Thursday night, eyeliner adorns the eyes of the young and old as punks of all shapes and sizes weave their way around the sticky Manchester venue, t-shirts spanning the entirety of the alternative genre circling like flags as people buzz around in anticipation for REFUSED’s supposedly last show.
Kicking off the night is London queercore trio Shooting Daggers, opening the show with an eclectic blend of riot-grrrl ferocity with post-hardcore influences. In true punk fashion, the three-piece wear their values on their sleeves: in album title ‘Love and Rage’, an impromptu bridge of FREE PALESTINE emerges, and following is an urgent call for people to immerse themselves in their local scenes, to make bands and make their voices heard. The glittering moment of the set is in the final track, ‘Missandra’, the crowd fully on board and erupting into circle pits.
Up next to rapturous applause is Quicksand, fellow 90s hardcore rockers who have managed to draw a gigantic crowd an hour before the headline act. Clad in a Speed jersey, frontman Walter Schreifels waltzes on stage, almost two years since their last Manchester show in a sweaty Club Academy. To the crowd’s delight, they run through a sizeable set, cherry-picking their way through their two early LPs as well as a few offerings from their most recent endeavour, ‘Distant Offerings’. The energy is frenetic, abrasive, and most importantly fun – even from the shadowy wings of the back of the soundboard it's impossible to miss the smiles radiating from the band, and from the crowd.
Then it is time for headliners REFUSED to step out on stage, but it’s more of a waltz really – frontman Dennis Lyxzén appears more of a flamenco dancer than a post-hardcore pioneer in a sharp suit and frilly red shirt as he cha chas on stage. They launch into ‘Poetry Written In Gasoline’, a tight, well-oiled machine that reveals the dedication and perspiration the band have poured into REFUSED over the years. There is a theatrical flair running throughout the show, from the disco punk sound of ‘The Refused Party Program’, to the jazz hands that Lxyzén throws out as he darts across the stage, taking in the fans of all ages singing every word straight back.
The show takes a heavier turn when they launch into ‘Rather Be Dead’, which has limbs flailing around and security guards wrinkling their brows, following into deep cuts from REFUSED’s beginnings of New York hardcore and early demos, before they developed their signature brand of “super pretentious prog rock hardcore”, as described by Lyxzén. Then follows another deep cut from ‘Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent’, careening into ‘Beauty’, its live debut since 1996.
Humour runs throughout the show, there is the sense that after a long, illustrious, celebrated career that REFUSED don’t take themselves that seriously, sauntering across the stage and swinging their hips whilst circle pits burst all around them. Of course, politics runs parallel to this; they condemn the state of the world right now, the lyrics they wrote in earlier demos ringing even more true now than they did at the time. But what underpins it all is joy, that in the face of the world we find ourselves in is the invitation to have fun, to find the lightness amongst it all.
After a rapturous encore, the curtain is closed on REFUSED as we know it, but something tells me this four-piece will always have something up their sleeve…
Kaitlyn Brockley
Images: Kaitlyn Brockley
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