Refused announce “last festival performance in Sweden” as band look to wind down
Refused have announced a homecoming gig that will mark their “last festival performance in Sweden” as the band looks to wind down.
The Swedish punks took to their official Instagram account to announce their forthcoming performance at Stockholm’s Rosendal Garden Party on Friday, June 14. Turnstile and M.I.A are also set to perform alongside Refused on that day of the festival.
In a now-deleted statement that was posted to the Rosendal Garden Party website, they revealed that this gig would mark the band’s final festival performance in their home country. “After four years away from the stage, the time has finally come. An exclusive concert, their only show and their last festival performance in Sweden. Ever. Make it count, gather everyone you know,” it read (per Kerrang!).
Refused have not commented on the deleted statement and have not addressed if this means that another hiatus or potential disbandment is in the near future. The performance will mark their first live show in four years.
The festival, which will take place from June 14 -16 will also see the likes of Massive Attack, RAYE, The Cardigans, Grace Jones and more play throughout the weekend. Tickets are on sale now with both single day and weekend passes available. Visit here to purchase passes and for more information.
The band’s last release was their 2020 EP ‘The Malignant Fire‘. It was their fourth release since reuniting in 2014, following the albums ‘Freedom’ and ‘War Music’, and the EP ‘Servants Of Death’.
Speaking to NME in 2019, Refused’s frontman Dennis Lyxzén discussed how the band’s politics had changed over the years.
“I think if you’re static in your political ideas, that’s not a good thing,” he said. “I think the foundation, with me, is more-or-less the same though. We’re still very anti-capitalist, pro-feminist and the like. Sadly, I think the ideas we were talking about in 1995 are still pretty relevant today. I think what’s changed for me is that I don’t take every fight anymore.
“When I was younger I was, ‘fuck this, fuck that, fuck everything’ and now I’m older, I just can’t do that. I’m more focused in my politics now. Oh, and I dunno, when we were younger, being straightedge was very important to us because drinking was such an integral part of the culture we found ourselves opposed to. Now we’re older it’s not as important to us anymore.”
Reviewing the band’s 2019 album ‘War Music’, NME‘s James McMahon awarded the record five stars, calling it “a perfect microcosm of everything brilliant punk ever was – and what it can continue to be.”
In other news, Refused were one of the many Swedish artists who have called for Israel to be banned from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
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Anagricel Duran
NME
