Live Review: Refused @ The Palace Theatre, Melbourne – 15 November 2012

Review by Billy Geary
The reformation of Swedish punk icons Refused back in April sent fans world wide into a frenzy. For Australian fans, the hope of the long, long awaited Australian tour became a reality leading to two sold out Palace Theatre shows in Melbourne. The importance of this run of shows could not be underestimated with many in the crowd having to wait as long as 20 years to see the four men in the flesh.

With a giant banner covering the stage, the word ‘Refused’ emblazoned across it, the Palace Theatre’s expansive pit was already heaving. Without much warning, the band entered the stage and immeadiately tore into the title track of their classic album The Shape of Punk to Come. The banner was dropped about 10 seconds in, revealing the five musicians on stage to be completely losing it. Thus, what transpired in the following 70 minutes or so was something very special to witness. Without command, the sold out Palace crowd shouted Dennis Lyxzén s lyrics back to him, drowning him out at many points.

Lyxzén’s antics are the source of much of the entertainment throughout the night, possessing a seemingly endless collection of microphone tricks and running around the stage like a madman. A notable highlight occurred when the frontman stacked two of the fold back speakers on top of each other before standing on top of them during ‘Rather Be Dead.’ This energy was also found in the rest of the band as well, with guitarist Jon Brännström throwing his body around this stage with equal amounts of gusto.

The set-list consisted largely of tracks taken from The Shape of Punk to Come, with ‘Summerholidays vs. Punkroutine’ and ‘Refused Are Fucking Dead’ being particular highlights. Lyxzén continually expressed his gratitude to the crowd, suggesting that the Melbourne punters were the loudest they’d experienced on their reunion tour, while later on in the set he showed his support for Russian punk band Pussy Riot. The final few songs of the main set, such as ‘Life Support Addiction’ and ‘Worms of the Senses / Faculties of the Skull’ sent the crowd into overload, with seemingly endless waves of crowd surfers who were joined by Lyxzén at different periods of time.

After a short break, the band returned one by one to the stage as the universally known intro riff to ‘New Noise’ was played, tipping the already rabid crowd over the edge. The songs powerful first line ‘Can I Scream?’ was shouted so loud by punters that the band was essentially drowned out, with bodies subsequently flying all over the place. After another round of thank-yous, the band tore into final song ‘Tannhäuser / Derivè,’ giving those who weren’t coming back the following night one last chance to hear the band in the live arena.

For those who were in attendance on Thursday night, they will know they witnessed something truly special. Refused showed they are every bit as important to music in 2012 as they were in 1998 when they released The Shape of Punk to Come. In addition, they are one of the tightest and most energetic live bands around, making for one of the best gigs of the year.

Artist: Refused
Venue: The Palace Theatre, Melbourne
Date: 15 November 2012

The Shape of Punk to Come (Deluxe Version) - RefusedThe Shape of Punk to Come (Deluxe Version) – Refused