Swedish hardcore-act Refused is going on a world reunion tour 2012. All though, the first gig ever since they came apart were made at secret show, mostly for friends, in a small venue in the band’s home town Umeå. Refused did their last show in a basement in Harrisonburg, Virginia in 1998. Rumor has that it was approximately a hundred people present when the police decided to shut the gig down. Meanwhile, a reluctant Refused kept playing their song Rather Be Dead, despite the presence of the law and their flickering flashlights. In their 14-year long absence things has certainly changed. Their last album, the ambitious The Shape Of Punk To Come, has transgressed the underground and transformed into a standard reference and influence for contemporary rock- and metal bands – including celebrated acts such as Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and Marilyn Manson. When Refused announced their plans of a reunion in 2012 the tour did not include any basements in Harrisonburg, Virginia but rather main stages on gigantic festivals such as Coachella and Rock Am Ring. But as the vocalist Dennis Lyxzén puts it while playing the first gig in Umeå: “Before we are going to earn millions playing for Americans we wanted to do a show for our friends”.

SNS ROCK SHOW 10/18/24

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