Refused, the trailblazing Swedish hardcore band, recently announced their decision to call it quits after a pretty extensive world tour. So who's gonna take the torch from the punk legends? Maybe Turnstile and High Vis.
Speaking to NME backstage at Mad Cool Festival 2025, frontman Dennis Lyxzén and drummer David Sandström reflected on the band's legacy, their final tour, and the current explosion of creativity in the modern golden era of the hardcore scene.
"I think that hardcore as a subculture has never been more musically interesting. We can debate if DC'81 was the best, or LA'82… but as far as musically creative and interesting, I think hardcore in 2025 is fantastic," said Lyxzén. That praise wasn't limited to the past. In looking forward, Lyxzén pointed directly to current standard-bearers like Turnstile and High Vis as leading the charge into new creative territory.
"I've seen Turnstile live and I loved them, I thought it was mind-blowingly good, but I've got to give a shoutout to High Vis, which is my favourite contemporary hardcore band right now," Lyxzén continued. "They're fucking amazing. They mix indie rock and Britpop with hardcore and house music, and they're really raw and violent live. Fantastic band."
Sandström echoed the sentiment: "In the DIY underground scene, there are tons of great bands. Then it feels like with Turnstile that hardcore is reaching crazy heights. It's going across the spectrum, and it didn't feel like that 15 years ago."
Refused's departure comes at a moment when hardcore is breaking into the mainstream in ways few could have predicted. From their feature on The Bear soundtrack to the global stages of festivals like Mad Cool, the band's reach has extended far beyond the punk basements they once played. But even as Refused says goodbye, their influence lives on through the bands they've inspired and the fans they've brought into the fold.
Refused is currently out on their farewell tour across the world, with the North American dates having just wrapped up. Check out the remaining dates below and tickets are available here.
7/17 Bontida, RO Electric Castle Festival 2025
7/18 Santo Domingo De La Calzada, ES Rock Land Fest 2025
7/19 Gijón, ES Tsunami Xixón 2025
8/4 Tolmin, SI Punk Rock Holiday 2025
8/6 Oslo, NO Øya Festival 2025
8/7 Gothenburg, SE Way Out West 2025
8/8 Oberbildein, AT Picture On Festival 2025
8/9 Rimini, IT Bay Fest 2025
8/11 Budapest III. Kerület, HU Sziget Festival 2025
8/22 Vilar De Mouros, PT Vilar de Mouros 2025
10/1 Glasgow, UK SWG3
10/2 Manchester, UK O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester
10/3 London, UK O2 Academy Brixton
10/5 Dublin, IE 3Olympia Theatre
10/7 Tilburg, NL Poppodium 013
10/8 Paris, FR Élysée Montmartre
10/9 Lille, FR L'Aéronef
10/10 Köln, DE Bürgerhaus Stollwerck
10/11 Leipzig, DE Felsenkeller Leipzig
10/12 München, DE Muffathalle
10/31 São Paulo, BR Terra SP
11/1 Palermo, AR Palermo Groove
11/3 Santiago, CL Teatro Coliseo
