Prophetically, Refused’s 1998 third record “The Shape of Punk to Come”, has become the most important punk album since “Never the Bollocks” careered into our collective lives. However, at the time it was a commercial bomb and was scorned by the band’s ferment fanbase. It was so ill thought of, that the derision sent the band into a tailspin that they never recovered from. They partially limped through a traumatic American tour only to implode during an internal flight to Atlanta, Georgia. It was only after their demise that people started to see the astonishing depth of this unparalleled prog punk masterpiece.
Read MoreIt seems like an age since I last reviewed a gig, but in fact it's only little under a month - it appears time does not fly when you’re not having fun. Fortunately, my first reviewing gig back is for a co-headline treat. Both Thrice and Refused don’t visit England that often (well, certainly not the North West), so I’m eager to catch a couple of my formative musical acts in the flesh for only the second or third time. As always I jump on the train, hoping that I’m not going to be held hostage to some trick or treat irony from Transport for Wales (spoiler: a rail replacement bus on the journey home turned out to be the trick).
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