Refused Are Back From the Dead and Heading Down Under

​In 1998, Refused​ released the defining album The Shape Of Punk To Come only to announce a short time later they were "fucking dead". Now, as both testament to the wonders of the Swedish health system and the fanaticism of their fans, the band are back from the dead and heading Down Under early next year including their first appearance in New Zealand.

Forman in Umeå, Sweden, in 1991, the four-piece released a series of influential hardcore punk albums throughout the 90s before the split. They reformed in 2012 and again in 2014 before releasing their fourth-full length Freedom in 2015.

Lauded by new fans for it's politically charged sentiment and accessible punk leaning, Freedom also found it's share of detractors, especially from older fans, who struggled to reconcile the 'new', highly polished Refused with the lawless punks they'd treasured for the past two decades.

While we could spend another 18 years measuring Refused's new material against the lofty yardstick of the seminal The Shape Of Punk To Come, what really matters for Refused fans is that their favourite hardcore provocateurs are back and playing live again.

Marking the group's first ever show in New Zealand, Refused have been announced to play Laneway Festival​ in Auckland next year.

With dates also earmarked for Australia in January, we caught up with Refused singer Dennis Lyxzén to discuss the bands unlikely resurrection and their desire to overcome the 'nostalgia act' status pegged on them.

Noisey: Is the motivation to make music the same as it was in 1991? 
Dennis Lyxzén:  No, it's not. Back then it felt that it was something I did just to cure my restlessness and that it was something I was going to do until I got my shit together. And I never got my shit together and I'm still playing music. Now that I'm over 40, there's definitely a different approach to the way I write. One morning I realised, "Oh fuck, I became a musician." That was a turning point of my creative life.

You had a steady following before you broke up in 1998 but what is it like witness the fanbase grow to after the band were no longer together? 
It was surreal. I don't want to compare them to us, but bands like MC5 and Iggy and The Stooges that were kind-of cool when they were around but when they broke up they became legends in their own right. It was a weird experience to write and record a very ambitious record, put it out, nobody cared, break-up, start a new band, and then get calls saying "They're showing your video on MTV in America. This record is taking off." Refused became an entity. I was still connected to it but I wasn't really apart of it anymore. We'd broken up and I moved on and then I saw that this Refused thing was taking off.

And what was it like returning and playing such large capacity shows like Coachella and Madison Square Garden? 
I'd treaded those waters with Noise Conspiracy. It was a very different story for the other guys though. Besides David, the drummer, when we broke up the others left music. When we walked on stage at Coachella I could see that there were a lot of nervous people on stage. So that was definitely a challenge. We'd played in small clubs but it was a challenge to redirect the energy of the music to the big arenas and festivals. After a couple of shows we sort-of got the hang of it so now it's not a problem.

There's a lot of opinions about Freedom. Do you get tired of having your music constantly compared to The Shape Of Punk To Come? 
When my other bands records and people compare that to The Shape Of Punk To Come then yes. You know, it's a different band, it's different people, it's 16 years later. I can accept that people will compare Refused albums to Shape.

As far as Freedom, I think it's a fair comparison. So I guess I'm fine with it. I think it's a bit strange that the people who celebrated us for Shape listen to Freedom and say, "It's not like The Shape Of Punk To Come so I don't like it." That's the point of being a band that has no boundaries and just tries everything. People have had 17 years to listen to Shape. They've had 17 years to form an opinion. It's nostalgia. There's so many memories connected to that album so when you put out a record that competes with it, you're not only competing with the songs but your competing with the life experiences. That's tricky. I think that in retrospect people will be able to look back at Freedom and think that it's a kickass record. It's a matter of perspective.

Refused are heading to New Zealand for the first time. Are you as excited as I'm assuming your fans in New Zealand are?
I love Auckland and I'm super excited about coming back! I think we're all going to stay in Auckland for a week afterwards and just hang out. We're all super excited. I've been to New Zealand twice but the other guys have never been. It's gonna be fantastic.

​Refused Australia/New Zealand 2017:
Jan 20 - Brisbane at The Tivoli, Brisbane
Jan 21 - Sydney at Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Jan 22 - Adelaide at HQ, Adelaide
Jan 24  - Melbourne at Prince Bandroom
Jan 26 - Fremantle at Metropolis
Jan 30 - Auckland at Laneway