Refused Cancel Swedish Festival Gig After Singer Dennis Lyxzén Suffers ‘Massive’ Heart Attack: ‘Really Shook Up’

14 June, 2024

Beloved Swedish punk rockers Refused had to cancel their gig at Stockholm’s Rosendal Garden Party festival this weekend after singer Dennis Lyxzén revealed that he’d suffered a heart attack. The show, which was hyped as the band’s final festival gig in Sweden, was scotched after Lyxzén was hospitalized and told to rest by doctors.

“So this morning I had a massive heart attack at my hotel room. It’s was extremely painful and wildly scary,” the singer said on Thursday (June 13) alongside a photo of him in the hospital hooked up to a raft of medical devices. “Thanks the the wonderful doctors and nurses at the Uppsala hospital I’m still around to fight another day. Under the circumstances I feel ok. Sore and tired and really shook up.”

In addition to their festival swan song, the gig would also have been the Refused’s first show in four years after the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to cancel their 2020 North American tour after a March 9 gig in Los Angeles.

“I real really hate cancelling show but the doctor said no rock for a couple of weeks,” Lyxzén continued. “Which means that the @refused show at @rosendalgardenparty is not happening.
A complete bummer as I was really looking forward to it. But hopefully I/we will be able to make up to you soon.” He said the good news was that with medication his doctors believe he can be up and rocking again “hopefully sooner than later.”

The band released a trio of blistering post-hardcore albums in the 1990s, including their smash mouth 1994 debut, This Just Might Be… The Truth, followed by 1996’s equally blistering Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent and the LP that is considered to be their creative peak, 1998’s The Shape of Punk to Come, which added some jazzy and experimental elements to the songs again driven by Lyxzén’s primal howl vocals.

After breaking up following the tour for Shape — with Lyxzén going on to form The (International) Noise Conspiracy — they reunited in 2012 for a tour and two more albums, 2015’s Freedom and 2019’s War Music.

Lyxzén ended his message with a note of hope and gratitude, signing off, “Life is weird and precious. Take care of each and tell your loved ones that you love them.”

The post got lots of love from Lyxzén’s punk brethren, including Thursday singer Geoff Rickly, who wrote, “Take it easy. Rest up. We need people like you man” and Epitaph Records founder/Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz, who said, “Sending you love and heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery my friend”; Epitaph released Freedom. The singer also got love from the bands Snapcase, Sick of It All, Rancid’s Lars Frederiksen, Thursday and DJ Steve Aoki, among others.

See Lyxzén’s post below.