RefusedIn a heated, heaving Metro Freo, the agitated sermonising of BLKOUT couldn't have been a better mouth wetter for the politically-charged, influential Scandinavian act that was to follow. The keen riffs of Without A Fight and the exhilaratingly obnoxious Freedom For None were delivered with economic brutality. BLKOUT certainly aren't a band to add superfluous extras; it's all about the tight grooves and tonight they pretty much murdered it.
Having disbanded in 1998, Refused are a group many here tonight thought they'd never witness. However, having announced their reformation only ten months ago; this, their first tour of Australia – postponed for approximately 14 years – will also be their last, as by this time next month Refused will be no more. While there have been plenty of lucrative offers to continue, on tonight's evidence the band have clearly reunited for the right reason – for the simple joy of playing music together. Their performance was a righteous testament to living in the moment, a wild celebration of barely-controlled energy, as the confrontational, anarchist politics that sometimes alienated audiences took a backseat. During Rather Be Dead singer Dennis Lyxzén constructed an impromptu tower assembled from monitors to deliver his polemic from, which looked about as stable as a drunkenly-assembled Jenga block. Having survived the leap down, the band then tore through a The Shape Of Punk To Come-heavy set that was feverishly devoured by the crowd. For a band who were broadly influential but unrewarded the first time around, it must have been exceptionally satisfying to hear the words of New Noise and Liberation Frequency sung back to the band as enthusiastically as tonight's audience did.
It might be cynical, but also natural, to question whether the vital spirit of the band had dissipated over the years that they lay dormant, and compared to the video footage of that almost-lost era, maybe it's true. Refused were less insular and yes, a shade less angry, but they were able to share their unabashed love of hardcore as they sought to connect with and inspire the audience at every given opportunity. A subtle shift in objectives, from 'revolution' to 'evolution'. “This was so worth 32 hours of flying,” Lyxzén breathlessly extolled as they limbered up toward the finale. Couldn't agree more man, couldn't agree more.
