102-490: Refused (also known as the Refused ) is a Swedish hardcore punk band originating from Umeå and formed in 1991. Refused is composed of vocalist Dennis Lyxzén , guitarist Kristofer Steen , drummer David Sandström , and bassist Magnus Flagge. Guitarist Jon Brännström was a member from 1994, through reunions, until he was fired in late-2014. Their lyrics are often of a non-conformist and politically far-left nature and were for
204-712: A fanzine explaining their political ideas. For this record, they toured with Snapcase . Later on, they did it in support of Millencolin in the United States and with Mindjive in Europe. Their third album, 1998's The Shape of Punk to Come , incorporated diverse sounds outside of the strict hardcore realm, such as electronica , jazz , and ambient . Initially, the album was both a commercial and critical failure, with little media coverage and mixed reception from fans and critics alike; some even refused to rate it because of its stylistic divergence. The United States tour to support
306-623: A UK tour alongside Thrice and Gouge Away. A five-track EP The Malignant Fire was released on 20 November 2020. It featured single "Born on the Outs", three other new songs, as well as "Malfire" from War Music . In March 2024, Refused announced their first show in four years, at the Rosendal Garden Party in Stockholm. It was advertised as "their last festival performance in Sweden. Ever". However, it
408-602: A band which, apart from Bad Brains , has arguably had the biggest influence on the hardcore punk genre, and whose contributions to the music, ethics, aesthetic, and ethos are still widely acknowledged by hardcore bands of the 2020s. The band used faster rhythms and more aggressive, less melodic riffs than was common at the time. Minor Threat popularized the straight edge movement with its song " Straight Edge ", which spoke out against alcohol, drugs and promiscuity. MacKaye and Nelson ran their own record label, Dischord Records , which released records by D.C. hardcore bands, including
510-462: A documentary on the band's last year in existence called Refused Are Fucking Dead , which was released in 2006. Then, he began working on operas in Sweden. In March 2010, Epitaph Records put up the old Refused website online with the words "Coming Soon." Rumours spread across the Internet about what the new website could indicate, including speculation of a reunion. Citing an anonymous source "close to
612-518: A giant red mohawk and the band continued to wear swastikas , an approach influenced by the wearing of this symbol by 1970s punks such as Sid Vicious . Because of this, the Exploited were labeled by others in the scene as "cartoon punks". Other influential UK hardcore bands from this period included GBH , Anti-Establishment , Antisect , Broken Bones , Chaos UK , Conflict , Dogsflesh , English Dogs , and grindcore innovators Napalm Death . There
714-534: A hardcore scene known as "nardcore" developed with bands like Agression , Ill Repute , Dr. Know , and Rich Kids on LSD . Whilst popular traditional punk bands such as the Clash , Ramones, and Sex Pistols were signed to major record labels, the hardcore punk bands were generally not. Black Flag, however, was briefly signed to MCA subsidiary Unicorn Records but were dropped because an executive considered their music to be "anti-parent". Instead of trying to be courted by
816-673: A hardcore style (shaved head and boots) as being based on needing more functional clothing. Skateboard culture, streetwear, and workwear are also major influences on clothing worn by participants in both past and present eras of hardcore. Music writer Barney Hoskyns attributed hardcore being younger, faster and angrier than punk rock, to adolescents who were sick of their life in a "bland Republican " America. Hardcore punk lyrics often express antiestablishment , antimilitarist , antiauthoritarian , antiviolence , and pro- environmentalist sentiments, in addition to other typically left-wing , anarchist , or egalitarian political views. During
918-691: A line of it on their 2007 song " Born for This ". Other artists have been quoted expressing admiration for their work are Anthrax , Steve Aoki , and Ben Weinman of the Dillinger Escape Plan . Hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc ) is a punk rock subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk scenes in San Francisco and Southern California which arose as
1020-417: A parody of conservative bands. Another act from Massachusetts, Vile, were known to insult women, minorities and gay people in their lyrics and would even go as far as putting their albums on the windshields of people's cars. On the other hand, Tim Yohannan and the influential punk rock fanzine Maximumrocknroll were criticized by some punks for acting as the "politically correct scene police", having what
1122-568: A radio show featuring hardcore called Capital Radio, hosted by Brad Morrison, beginning in February 1979 and continuing weekly until late 1983. In New York City , Tim Sommer hosted Noise The Show on WNYU . By 1984, the Ramones , one of the original New York punk bands, were experimenting with hardcore, with two songs, "Wart Hog" and "Endless Vacation" on their album Too Tough To Die . Minneapolis hardcore consisted of bands such as Hüsker Dü and
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#17328486230851224-579: A radio show in 1977, but branched out into a fanzine in 1982. While not as large as the scene in Los Angeles, the hardcore scene of the early 1980s included a number of noteworthy bands originating from the San Francisco Bay Area , including Bl'ast , Crucifix , the Faction , Fang , Flipper , and Whipping Boy . Additionally, during this time, seminal Texas -based bands Dirty Rotten Imbeciles ,
1326-668: A rallying cry for bands longing to incorporate sounds from outside the walls of aggressive music." Author Gabriel Kuhn states that Refused "became the flagship of a remarkably strong vegan straight edge movement that engulfed Sweden throughout the 1990s" with "witty manifestos" and "performances" that "challenged many of the scene's standards". Among the artists who cite Refused as an influence are Linkin Park , Duff McKagan of Velvet Revolver and Guns N' Roses , Sum 41 , Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 , AFI , Papa Roach , Tim McIlrath of Rise Against , Underoath , Enter Shikari ,
1428-471: A reaction against the still predominant hippie cultural climate of the time. It was also inspired by Washington, D.C. , and New York punk rock and early proto-punk . Hardcore punk generally disavows commercialism , the established music industry and "anything similar to the characteristics of mainstream rock " and often addresses social and political topics with "confrontational, politically charged lyrics". Hardcore sprouted underground scenes across
1530-541: A rough internal fight in Atlanta, Georgia. Other factors to their disbandment were a depletion of creative energy and band members wanting different things. There was also conflict between Dennis and the rest of the band. Refused announced their demise through a strongly-worded open letter titled "Refused Are Fucking Dead" on their label Burning Heart 's website. The story of Refused's last show soon became popular, as well as The Shape of Punk to Come . A year after its release,
1632-511: A shift into hardcore. Similar to Black Flag and Youth Brigade, Dead Kennedys released their albums on their own label, which in DK's case was Alternative Tentacles . The scene was helped in particular by the San Francisco club Mabuhay Gardens , whose promoter, Dirk Dirksen , became known as "The Pope of Punk". Another important local institution was Tim Yohannan 's Maximumrocknroll , which started as
1734-455: A strong anti-establishment profile. The group's members were all vegan straight edge until their last show in 1998 and a couple of their songs dealt with these topics. Today, some of them no longer follow these lifestyles. In their live performances, vocalist Lyxzén usually delivers political speeches between songs. Before the Umeå hardcore phenomenon went into full bloom, the band was seen as part of
1836-459: A style of dance in which participants push or slam into each other, and stage diving . Moshing works as a vehicle for expressing anger by "represent[ing] a way of playing at violence or roughness that allowed participants to mark their difference from the banal niceties of middle-class culture". Moshing is in another way a " parody of violence", that nevertheless leaves participants bruised and sometimes bleeding. The term mosh came into use in
1938-643: A time associated with the straight edge subculture . The band released their debut album This Just Might Be... the Truth in 1994. They followed this up with Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent (1996) and five EPs. In 1998, the band released The Shape of Punk to Come , which expanded their sound with jazz and electronic influences, but was initially poorly received commercially and critically. The group shortly after disbanded during their subsequent tour. Despite limited contemporary success, Refused were influential on
2040-408: Is "usually associated with the further evolution of California's L.A. Punk Rock scene", which included young skateboarders. A September 1981 article by Tim Sommer shows the author applying the term to the "15 or so" punk bands gigging around the city at that time, which he considered a belated development relative to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Blush said that the term "hardcore"
2142-556: Is also a reference to the sense of being "fed up" with the existing punk and new wave music . Blush also states that the term refers to "an extreme: the absolute most Punk". Kelefa Sanneh states that the term "hardcore" referred to an attitude of "turning inwards" towards the scene and "ignoring broader society", all with the goal of achieving a sense of "shared purpose" and being part of a community. Sanneh cites Agnostic Front 's band member selection approach as an example of hardcore's emphasis on "scene citizenship"; prospective members of
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#17328486230852244-561: Is an independent record label formed in 1993 in Fagersta , Sweden, and currently based in Örebro . It has a close affiliation with Californian label Epitaph Records , who own the rights to distribute Burning Heart's output in North America. It also started a German office in Berlin in the end of 2003. Burning Heart has proven very successful in launching European (especially Swedish) bands to
2346-469: Is important in hardcore. Noisey magazine describes one hardcore band as "an all-encompassing, full-volume assault" in which "[e]very instrument sounds like it's competing for the most power and highest volume". Scott Wilson states that the hardcore of the Bad Brains emphasized two elements: "off-the-charts" loudness which reached a level of threatening, powerful "uncompromising noise" and rhythm, in place of
2448-434: Is supposed to be. It's its own form." According to AllMusic , the overall blueprint for hardcore was playing louder, harder and faster. Hardcore was a reaction to the "cosmopolitan art-school" style of new wave music . Hardcore "eschew[ed] nuance, technique, [and] the avant-garde ", and instead emphasized "speed and rhythmic intensity" using unpredictable song forms and abrupt tempo changes. The impact of powerful volume
2550-804: Is the true spirit of punk, because "all the poseurs and fashionistas fucked off to the next trend of skinny pink ties with New Romantic haircuts, singing wimpy lyrics" and the punk scene now consisted of people like Minor Threat, Bad Brains , Black Flag , and Circle Jerks , dedicated to the DIY ethics. Other writers have also attributed hardcore to a reaction against artsy and mellower sub-genres that punk grew into, such as post-punk and new wave . Hardcore punk additionally broke with original punk rock song patterns and visuals, favoring lower-key aesthetics. According to Eli Enis of Billboard magazine , hardcore shows are known to be violent. In 2002, during an interview with Nardwuar , Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra
2652-480: The Everlasting EP. Refused's final line-up consisted of Dennis Lyxzén, David Sandström, Kristofer Steen, and Jon Brännström, but the band never found a permanent bass player, switching up to 12 bassists until their original break-up. In June 1996, they released Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent through Victory Records . The album had a style that steered towards the metallic hardcore genre and included
2754-477: The Refused Are Fucking Dead DVD documentary in addition to the full original album. In November 2011, multiple posters said to be for the upcoming 2012 Coachella Festival appeared on several Internet sites, and the line-ups included Refused. This started new rumours of a long-awaited reunion. During BBC Radio 1 's "Punk Show" on 2 January 2012, Mike Davies stated that Refused, along with At
2856-727: The Kensington Market neighbourhood of Toronto , Ontario , formed in November 1983 as a response to "a local war with glue huffing Nazi skinheads". In Montreal , The Asexuals helped fertilize a scene that became a necessary tour stop for punk and hardcore bands headed to the Northeast. In the United Kingdom , a fertile hardcore scene took root early on. Referred to under a number of names including "U.K. Hardcore", " UK 82 ", "second wave punk", "real punk", and "No Future punk", it took
2958-673: The Minutemen , with whom they shared a practice space until both bands were evicted, as well as the Circle Jerks (which featured Black Flag's original singer, Keith Morris ). From Hollywood , two other bands playing hardcore punk, Fear and the Germs , were featured with Black Flag and the Circle Jerks in Penelope Spheeris ' 1981 documentary The Decline of Western Civilization . By the time
3060-481: The Outpatients , both of whom would come to Boston to play shows. From nearby Manchester , New Hampshire, was G.G. Allin , a solo singer who, contrary to straight edge, used large amounts of drugs and alcohol, eventually dying of a heroin overdose. Allin's stage show included defecating on stage and then throwing his feces at the audience. The New York City hardcore scene emerged in 1981 when Bad Brains moved to
3162-457: The far-right Proud Boys during their sedition trial for their role in attacking the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. While the early hardcore scene was mostly young white males, both onstage and in the audience, there are notable exceptions. Black musicians include Bad Brains, Fred "Freak" Smith of Beefeater , Dead Kennedys drummer D.H. Peligro , and Scream bassist Skeeter Thompson . Numerous Black and Latino members have been in
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3264-554: The 1980s, the subculture often rejected what was perceived to be " yuppie " materialism and interventionist American foreign policy. Numerous hardcore punk bands have taken far-left political stances, such as anarchism or other varieties of socialism , and in the 1980s expressed opposition to political leaders such as then US president Ronald Reagan and British prime minister Margaret Thatcher . Reagan's economic policies, sometimes dubbed Reaganomics , and social conservatism were common subjects for criticism by hardcore bands of
3366-411: The Circle Jerks were so far from that. We looked like the kid who worked at the gas station or sub. shop." Henry Rollins stated that for him, getting dressed up meant putting on a black shirt and some dark pants; taking an interest in fashion as being a distraction. Jimmy Gestapo from Murphy's Law describes his own transition from dressing in a punk style (spiked hair and a bondage belt) to adopting
3468-797: The Dicks , Dirty Rotten Imbeciles (D.R.I.), Really Red , Verbal Abuse and MDC were from Texas . Portland , Oregon, hardcore punk bands included Poison Idea and Final Warning , while north of there, Washington state included the Accüsed , Melvins , the Fartz , and 10 Minute Warning (the latter two included future Guns N' Roses member Duff McKagan ). Other prominent hardcore bands from this time that came from areas without large scenes include Raleigh , North Carolina's Corrosion of Conformity . D.O.A. formed in Vancouver , British Columbia in 1978 and were one of
3570-626: The Dicks , MDC , Rhythm Pigs , and Verbal Abuse all relocated to San Francisco. Further out of the Bay Area, Sacramento 's Tales of Terror were cited by many, including Mark Arm , as a key inspiration for the grunge movement. The first hardcore punk band to form on the East Coast of the United States was Washington, D.C.'s Bad Brains . Initially formed in 1977 as a jazz fusion ensemble called Mind Power, and consisting of all African-American members, their early foray into hardcore featured some of
3672-777: The Drive-In would be reforming in 2012. On 9 January 2012, Refused announced a reunion to perform at the 2012 Coachella Festival . This was controversial because of the band's original explicit declaration to never reunite. On 29 February, Refused played a secret show in Umeå, their first live performance since 1998. Refused played numerous European festivals on the Reunion Tour , including Way Out West in Gothenburg , Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Download Festival in England . They appeared for
3774-584: The F.U.'s , the Freeze , Gang Green , Jerry's Kids , Siege , DYS , Negative FX , and SS Decontrol . Members of the latter three bands were influenced by D.C.'s straight edge scene, and were part of "the Boston Crew", a mostly straight edge group of friends known to physically fight people who used alcohol or drugs. Members of the Boston Crew would later go on to form the band Slapshot , and also included future Mighty Mighty Bosstones singer Dicky Barrett , who
3876-704: The Faith , Iron Cross , Scream , State of Alert , Government Issue , Void , and D.C.'s Youth Brigade . The Flex Your Head compilation was a seminal document of the early 1980s D.C. hardcore scene. The record label was run out of the Dischord House, a Washington, D.C., punk house . Henry Rollins , who would come to prominence as the lead singer of the California-based Black Flag, as well as his own later Rollins Band , grew up in Washington, D.C., singing for
3978-462: The Los Angeles scene from 1981 to 1984, and it included show reviews and band interviews with groups including D.O.A., the Misfits, Black Flag, Suicidal Tendencies and the Circle Jerks. Shortly after Black Flag debuted in Los Angeles, Dead Kennedys were formed in San Francisco. While the band's early releases were played in a style closer to traditional punk rock, In God We Trust, Inc. (1981) marked
4080-553: The Misfits "crucial to the rise of hardcore." New York hardcore had more emphasis on rhythm, in part due to the use of palm-muted guitar chords, an approach called the NY hardcore "chug". The New York scene was known for its tough ethos, its "thuggery", and club shows that were a chaotic "proving ground" or even a "battleground". In the early 1980s, the New York hardcore scene centered around squats and clubhouses. After these were closed down,
4182-612: The Replacements , while Chicago had Articles of Faith , Big Black and Naked Raygun . The Detroit area was home to Crucifucks , Degenerates , the Meatmen , Negative Approach , Spite and Violent Apathy . From Ohio was Maumee 's Necros and Dayton 's Toxic Reasons . The zine Touch and Go covered this Midwest hardcore scene from 1979 to 1983. JFA and Meat Puppets were both from Phoenix , Arizona; 7 Seconds were from Reno , Nevada; and Butthole Surfers , Big Boys ,
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4284-472: The State of Alert, and was influenced by the music of Bad Brains and the bands of his childhood friend Ian MacKaye. The tradition of holding all-ages shows at small DIY spaces, has roots in the early Washington, D.C., straight edge movement. It emerged from the idea that people of all ages should have access to music, regardless of if they're old enough to drink alcohol. Seminal Boston-area hardcore bands included
4386-498: The Truth was characterized for its "massive hardcore sound", mostly influenced by various bands from the New York hardcore scene (such as Earth Crisis ). On their follow-up, Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent , the band had a heavier, more intricate style, which is generally attributed to their Slayer inspiration, and Lyxzén adopted screaming vocals rather than shouting. With the third album, The Shape of Punk to Come , "came
4488-785: The United States in the early 1980s, particularly in Los Angeles , San Francisco , Washington, D.C. , Boston , and New York , as well as in Canada and the United Kingdom. Hardcore has spawned the straight edge movement and its associated sub-movements, hardline and youth crew . Hardcore was heavily involved in the rise of the independent record labels in the 1980s and with the DIY ethics in underground music scenes. It has also influenced various music genres that have experienced widespread commercial success, including grunge and thrash metal . Although
4590-555: The Used , Every Time I Die , Norma Jean , Showbread , La Dispute , Nick Hipa of As I Lay Dying , Derek E. Miller of Poison the Well and Sleigh Bells , Geoff Rickly of Thursday , United Nations and No Devotion , Marcos Curiel of P.O.D. and Daylight Division , Jeremy Bolm of Hesitation Wounds and Touché Amoré , Zachary Garren of Dance Gavin Dance and Strawberry Girls , Chris Teti of
4692-826: The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die , the New Transit Direction , the Bloody Beetroots , Justin Beck of Glassjaw and Sons of Abraham , Robin Staps of the Ocean , the Bled , Thomas Williams of Stray from the Path , Brandon Kellum of American Standards , and Jonathan Boulet . The song "H. Ledger" from letlive. 's album Fake History is a "homage" to Refused because
4794-418: The aim of playing outside of their hometown and releasing a 7" record (the latter which never happened). They released their first demo, Refused , the same year. With an already altered lineup (including Kristofer Steen joining from local band Abhinanda with Pär Hansson going the other way) the band released their first studio album , This Just Might Be... the Truth , in 1994. A month later, they released
4896-511: The album shot up from 1,400 to 21,000 units sold in the United States. In 2000, it went up to 28,000. From then on, many notable artists started to praise the band and newcomers cited them as an influence. Lead singer Dennis Lyxzén went on to form The (International) Noise Conspiracy soon thereafter, while the other members, as well as venturing into their own projects, formed the group TEXT . In 2007 Lyxzén and Sandström briefly reformed their Refused side project, Final Exit , which existed in
4998-409: The album was cancelled halfway. They were joined by Washington, D.C.'s Frodus and only completed eight shows in half-empty basements and coffeehouses, finishing in a chaotic performance in a basement of Harrisonburg, Virginia that, after four songs, was shut down by police . They described these concerts as "emotionally devastating" and "an awful experience", which finally led to their break-up after
5100-474: The all-Latino punk band Manic Hispanic , which also featured Efrem Schulz from Death By Stereo . There are also notable women such as Crass singers Joy de Vivre and Eve Libertine , Black Flag bassist Kira Roessler , and Germs bassist Lorna Doom . Several documentaries, including 2003's Afro-Punk and 2016's Los Punks , chronicle these subcultures within American punk and hardcore. As of 2019,
5202-493: The anti-Bush political activist group PunkVoter. A minority of hardcore musicians have expressed right-wing views, such as the band Antiseen , whose guitarist Joe Young ran for public office as a North Carolina Libertarian . Former Misfits singer Michale Graves appeared on an episode of The Daily Show , voicing support for George W. Bush, on behalf of the Conservative Punk website, and in 2023 testified on behalf of
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#17328486230855304-581: The band Suicidal Tendencies , including Mike Muir , Rocky George , R.J. Herrera, Louiche Mayorga, Robert Trujillo , Thundercat , Dean Pleasants , Ra Díaz, Dave Lombardo , Eric Moore, Tim "Rawbiz" Williams, David Hidalgo Jr. , and Ronald Bruner Jr. Other Latinos in early hardcore bands include Black Flag members Ron Reyes , Dez Cadena , Robo , and Anthony Martinez, Agnostic Front singer Roger Miret , his brother Madball singer Freddy Cricien , Adolescents guitarist Steve Soto , and Wasted Youth drummer Joey Castillo . Soto would later form
5406-421: The band felt that they "didn't receive proper recognition until they were no longer active." British musician Frank Turner stated that The Shape of Punk to Come "shaped my musical path as a musician for a long time" and his group, Million Dead , took their name from a line in the Refused's song "The Apollo Programme was a Hoax". Pop punk band Paramore were inspired by the song "Liberation Frequency" and quoted
5508-492: The band were chosen based on being part of the local hardcore scene and being regularly in the moshing pit at shows, rather than based on a musical audition . Michael Azerrad states that "[by] 1979 the original punk scene [in Southern California] had almost completely died out" and was replaced by punk music boiled down to its essence, but with faster tempos, which became known as "hardcore". Steven Blush states that
5610-462: The ceremony, instead thanking the efforts of popular education , in particular Workers' Educational Association (ABF) and youth centers (in Sweden associated with social democracy ) while Jon Brännström chose to not accept the prize on his behalf later stating he wished they "[...] had said no to the prize and instead held a press conference about why we had turned it down". On 31 October 2014, Jon Brännström wrote on Refused's Facebook page that he
5712-548: The city from Washington, D.C. Starting in 1981, there was an influx of new hardcore bands in the city including Agnostic Front , Beastie Boys , Cro-Mags , Cause for Alarm, the Mob , Murphy's Law , Reagan Youth , and Warzone . A number of other bands associated with New York hardcore scene came from New Jersey , including the Misfits , Adrenalin OD and Hogan's Heroes . Steven Blush calls
5814-409: The community. Largely inspired by early labels like Dischord Records , Alternative Tentacles , Epitaph Records , SST Records , Revelation Records , and Touch & Go Records , record labels are usually run on DIY ethic, collaboration, financial trust, and an emphasis on creative control. Labels within hardcore are seldom large, profit-making operations, but rather collaborative music partners with
5916-541: The crowd was singing the lyrics so loud they could be heard over the PA system. Hardcore vocal lines are often based on minor scales and songs may include shouted background vocals from the other band members. Hardcore lyrics expressed the "frustration and political disillusionment" of youth who were against 1980s-era affluence , consumerism , greed, Reagan politics and authority. The polarizing sociopolitical messages in hardcore lyrics (and outrageous on-stage behaviour) meant that
6018-475: The development of rock music at the turn of the twenty-first century, despite the fact that very few people supported them when they were active. According to Vice , they "stood at the nexus of modern punk, incorporating all of its subgenres into one scattered but neat package", putting "the risk back into punk and hardcore by making it unexpected again." David Anthony of The A.V. Club described The Shape of Punk to Come as "an undisputed classic that served as
6120-413: The development of rock music in subsequent decades. In 2012, the band reformed and commenced a reunion tour , and later released further albums Freedom (2015) and War Music (2019). Refused formed in early 1991 with Dennis Lyxzén (former frontman of the straight edge band Step Forward ) on vocals, David Sandström on drums, Pär Hansson on guitar, and Jonas Lindgren on bass. They formed with
6222-446: The dream is now 35 years old, so they can go fuck themselves." Steven Blush states that the Vancouver -based band D.O.A. 's 1981 album, Hardcore '81 , "was where the genre got its name". This album also helped to make people aware of the term "hardcore". Konstantin Butz states that while the origin of the expression "hardcore" "cannot be ascribed to a specific place or time", the term
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#17328486230856324-421: The drummer should have listened to a lot of hardcore, so that they can understand the "raw emotions" it expresses. Lucky Lehrer , the drummer and co-founder of the Circle Jerks in 1979, was an early developer of hardcore drumming; he has been called the "Godfather of hardcore drumming" and Flipside zine calls him the best punk drummer. According to Tobias Hurwitz, "[h]ardcore drumming falls somewhere between
6426-485: The early 1980s American hardcore scene in Washington, D.C. A performance by Fear on the 1981 Halloween episode of Saturday Night Live was cut short when moshers, including John Belushi and members of a few hardcore punk bands, invaded the stage, damaged studio equipment and used profanity. Many North American hardcore punk fans adopted a dressed-down style of T-shirts , jeans or work chinos , combat boots or sneakers , and crew cut -style haircuts. Women in
6528-742: The early Los Angeles hardcore scene increasingly became sites of violent battles between police and concertgoers. Another source of violence in L.A. was tension created by what one writer calls the invasion of "antagonistic suburban poseurs " into hardcore venues. Violence at hardcore concerts was portrayed in episodes of the popular television shows CHiPs and Quincy, M.E. . In the pre-Internet era, fanzines, commonly called zines , enabled hardcore scene members to learn about bands, clubs, and record labels. Zines typically included reviews of shows and records, interviews with bands, letters, ads for records and labels, and were DIY products, "proudly amateur, usually handmade. A zine called We Got Power described
6630-431: The fastest tempos in rock music . The band released its debut single, " Pay to Cum ", in 1980, and were influential in establishing the D.C. hardcore scene. Hardcore historian Steven Blush calls the single the first East Coast hardcore record. Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson , influenced by Bad Brains , formed the band Teen Idles in 1979. The group broke up in 1980, and MacKaye and Nelson went on to form Minor Threat ,
6732-520: The film was released, other hardcore bands from Los Angeles County were also making a name for themselves including Bad Religion , Descendents , Red Kross , Rhino 39 , Suicidal Tendencies , Wasted Youth , Youth Brigade , and Youth Gone Mad . Neighboring Orange County had the Adolescents , Agent Orange , China White , Social Distortion , Shattered Faith , T.S.O.L. , and Uniform Choice , while north of Los Angeles, around Oxnard , California,
6834-511: The fingers, some bassists use a pick. Some bassists play fuzz bass by overdriving their bass tone. Hardcore drumming, typically played fast and aggressively, has been called the "engine" and most essential element of the genre's aggressive sound of "unrelenting anger". Two other key elements for hardcore drummers are playing "tight" with the other musicians, especially the bassist (this does not mean metronomic time; indeed, coordinated tempo shifts are used in many important hardcore albums) and
6936-599: The first bands to refer to its style as "hardcore", with the release of their album Hardcore '81 . Other early hardcore bands from British Columbia included Dayglo Abortions who formed in 1979, the Subhumans and the Skulls . Nomeansno is a hardcore band originally from Victoria , British Columbia , and now located in Vancouver . SNFU formed in Edmonton in 1981 and also later relocated to Vancouver . Bunchofuckingoofs , from
7038-530: The first hardcore record to come out of the West Coast was Out of Vogue by the Santa Ana band Middle Class . The band pioneered a shouted, fast version of punk rock which would shape the hardcore sound that would soon emerge. In terms of impact upon the hardcore scene, Black Flag has been deemed the most influential group. Azerrad calls Black Flag the "godfathers" of hardcore punk and states that even "...more than
7140-513: The first time on TV in America on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on 18 July 2012 and toured Australia for the first time in November. Refused ended their reunion on 15 December 2012 with a hometown show in Umeå. On 22 February 2013, Refused were awarded the "Special Prize for Music Exports" by the Swedish Minister of Trade. Lyxzén and Sandström chose to criticize Sweden's current government at
7242-665: The flagship band of American hardcore", they were "...required listening for anyone who was interested in underground music." Blush states that Black Flag were to hardcore what the Sex Pistols and Ramones were to punk. Formed in Hermosa Beach , California by guitarist and primary songwriter Greg Ginn , they played their first show in December 1977. Originally called Panic, they changed their name to Black Flag in 1978. By 1979, Black Flag were joined by another South Bay hardcore band,
7344-515: The genre garnered no mainstream popularity. In hardcore, guitarists frequently play fast power chords with a heavily distorted and amplified tone, creating what has been called a "buzzsaw" sound. Guitar parts can sometimes be complex, technically versatile, and rhythmically challenging. Guitar melody lines usually use the same minor scales used by vocalists (although some solos use pentatonic scales). Hardcore guitarists sometimes play solos , octave leads and grooves , as well as tapping into
7446-511: The genre is still overwhelmingly represented by white males. However, as sonic diversity has increased in the genre, so too has its fanbase. This has helped bring greater attention to inclusivity within the scene. Bands like War On Women , Limp Wrist , Gouge Away , and G.L.O.S.S. have helped bring attention to subjects like women's rights, transphobia, rape, mental health, queer rights, and misogyny. Record labels in hardcore are often DIY endeavors, run by musicians or participants within
7548-427: The hardcore scene typically wore army pants, band T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts. The clothing style was a reflection of hardcore ideology, which included dissatisfaction with suburban America and the hypocrisy of American culture. It was essentially a deconstruction of American fashion staples—ripped jeans, holey T-shirts, torn stockings for women, and work boots. The style of the 1980s hardcore scene contrasted with
7650-422: The intent to document and release music for the underground community. Ian Mackaye , co-founder of Dischord Records claimed, "We don't use contracts, lawyers, any of those kinds of things. We are partners – they make the music, and we make the records. From the beginning of this label, people have said that the way we do things is unsustainable, unrealistic, idealistic, and we were just dreaming", he said. "Well,
7752-400: The leap into the unknown" as the band mixed their previous style with unorthodox chord progressions, sampling , "ambient textures, jazz breakdowns ", electronica and monologues, and other deviations from the hardcore punk music. Refused's lyrics focus on far-left politics , drawing on anarchism , socialism , among other ideologies. By the time of their first album, the band already had
7854-461: The look that was common in the San Francisco hardcore scene as consisting of biker-style leather jackets, chains, studded wristbands, multiple piercings, painted or tattooed statements (e.g., an anarchy symbol) and hairstyles ranging from military-style haircuts dyed black or blonde to mohawks and shaved heads. Circle Jerks frontman Keith Morris wrote: "[Punk] was basically based on English fashion. But we had nothing to do with that. Black Flag and
7956-450: The major labels, hardcore bands started their own independent record labels and distributed their records themselves. Ginn started SST Records , which released Black Flag's debut EP Nervous Breakdown in 1979. SST went on to release a number of albums by other hardcore artists, and was described by Azerrad as "easily the most influential and popular underground indie of the Eighties." SST
8058-429: The mid-late 1990s and originally consisted of members of Refused and Abhinanda , with each member taking a different role to that which they had in their main bands (e.g., David on vocals and Dennis on bass guitar). As of May 2008, Dennis Lyxzén and David Sandström formed a new straightforward hardcore band under the name AC4 . Kristofer Steen moved to Orange County, California and attended film school there. He made
8160-602: The more provocative fashion styles of late 1970s punk rockers. Siri C. Brockmeier writes that "hardcore kids do not look like punks", since hardcore scene members wore basic clothing and short haircuts, in contrast to the "embellished leather jackets and pants" worn in the punk scene. Lauraine Leblanc, however, claims that the standard hardcore punk clothing and styles included torn jeans, leather jackets, spiked armbands, dog collars, mohawk hairstyles , DIY ornamentation of clothes with studs, painted band names, political statements, and patches. Tiffini A. Travis and Perry Hardy describe
8262-651: The music genre started in English-speaking Western countries, notable hardcore scenes have existed in Italy , Japan and Brazil . Hardcore historian Steven Blush credits Minor Threat 's Ian MacKaye with starting a "die-hard mindset that begat almost everything we now call Hardcore", which was virulently anti-music industry and anti- rock star . An article in Drowned in Sound argues that late 1970s/early 1980s-era hardcore
8364-410: The music tracks for both Johnny and Kerry Eurodyne. The announcement was made alongside the release of Chippin' In on streaming services, the first single to be revealed for the project. On 23 August 2019, a new song called Never Fade Away came out. On 2 August 2019, the band released "Blood Red" from their forthcoming album War Music . The album was released on October 18 of that year, followed by
8466-473: The previous punk sound and added the incessant, heavy drumbeats and heavily distorted guitar sound of new wave of British heavy metal bands, especially Motörhead . Formed in 1977 in Stoke-on-Trent , Discharge played a large role in influencing other European hardcore bands. AllMusic calls the band's sound a "high-speed noise overload" characterized by "ferocious noise blasts." Their style of hardcore punk
8568-496: The same time, rumours surfaced of a new album being recorded for release in 2015 after ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead 's Autrey Fulbright II posted a photo on Instagram claiming that Lyxzén had been in the studio recording vocals for the album. On 27 April 2015, Refused announced their fourth studio album, Freedom , to be released in June 2015 via Epitaph Records . The album
8670-463: The scene centered around youth-oriented venue Galaxen, along with the punk-rock scene as well as metal bands such as Meshuggah . Refused have cited bands and artists as inflluences, including Fugazi , Slayer , Born Against , and ManLiftingBanner . Lyxzén has also cited Ian Svenonius 's projects ( The Make-Up , The Nation of Ulysses and Cupid Car Club ) as personal influences, while Sandström has drawn from Snapcase . Refused profoundly affected
8772-545: The scene was emanating in a small after-hours bar, A7 , on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and later around the famous bar CBGB . For several years, CBGB held weekly hardcore matinées on Sundays, but they stopped in 1990 when violence led Kristal to ban hardcore shows at the club. Early radio support in New York's surrounding Tri-State area came from Pat Duncan, who had hosted live punk and hardcore bands weekly on WFMU since 1979. Bridgeport , Connecticut's WPKN had
8874-464: The situation," Punknews.org unofficially announced that the band would perform at European music festivals in 2010. Dennis Lyxzén denied claims of a Refused reformation as he and David Sandström were busy with AC4. The new band website was later announced to be a promotional site for a reissue of Refused's final album, The Shape of Punk to Come . The reissue, released on 8 June 2010, is a three-disc set with an unreleased live album recorded in 1998 and
8976-430: The starting point. In the vein of earlier punk rock, most hardcore punk bands have followed the traditional singer/guitar/bass/drum format. The song-writing has more emphasis on rhythm rather than melody . Blush writes "The Sex Pistols were still rock'n'roll...like the craziest version of Chuck Berry . Hardcore was a radical departure from that. It wasn't verse-chorus rock. It dispelled any notion of what songwriting
9078-470: The straight-ahead rock styles of old-school punk and the frantic, warp-speed bashing of thrash." Some hardcore punk drummers play fast D-beat one moment and then drop tempo into elaborate musical breakdowns in the next. Drummers typically play eighth notes on the cymbals, because at the tempos used in hardcore, it would be difficult to play a smaller subdivision of the beat. The early 1980s hardcore punk scene developed slam dancing (also called moshing),
9180-862: The time. Jimmy Gestapo of Murphy's Law , however, endorsed Reagan and even went as far to call then former president Jimmy Carter a "pussy" in a 1986 New York Magazine cover story. Shortly after Reagan's death in 2004, the Maximumrocknroll radio show aired an episode composed of anti-Reagan songs by early hardcore punk bands. Certain hardcore punk bands have conveyed messages sometimes deemed " politically incorrect " by placing offensive content in their lyrics and relying on stage antics to shock listeners and people in their audience. Boston band The F.U.'s generated controversy with their 1983 album, My America , whose lyrics contained what appeared to be conservative and patriotic views. Its messages were sometimes taken literally, when they were actually intended as
9282-467: The typically focused-on elements in mainstream rock music, harmony and pitch (i.e., melody ). Hardcore vocalists often shout, scream or chant along with the music, using "vocal intensity" and an abrasive tone. The shouting of hardcore vocalists is often accompanied by audience members who are singing along, making the hardcore vocalist like the "leader of a mob" commonly known as "gang vocals". Steven Blush describes one early Minor Threat show where
9384-488: The various feedback and harmonic noises available to them. There are generally fewer guitar solos in hardcore than in mainstream rock, because solos were viewed as representing the "excess and superficiality" of mainstream commercial rock. Hardcore bassists use varied rhythms in their basslines , ranging from longer held notes (whole notes and half notes) to quarter notes, to rapid eighth note or sixteenth note runs. To play rapid bass lines that would be hard to play with
9486-562: Was an Italian hardcore punk scene in the 1980s that included groups like Wretched , Raw Power , and Negazione . Sweden developed several influential hardcore bands, including Anti Cimex , Disfear , and Mob 47 . Finland produced some influential hardcore bands, including Terveet Kädet , one of the first hardcore groups to emerge in the country. In Eastern Europe, notable hardcore bands included Hungary's Galloping Coroners from 1975, Yugoslavia's 1980s-era Niet from Ljubljana, and KBO! Burning Heart Records Burning Heart Records
9588-481: Was asked what he believed to be the first hardcore record, he remarked: "Sound Of Imker Train of Doomsday single in the late '60s in Holland. The only true '60s hardcore record I know." One definition of the genre is "a form of exceptionally harsh punk rock". Hardcore has been called a faster, meaner genre of punk rock, that was a stern refutation against it, being more primal and immediate, with speed and aggression as
9690-408: Was cancelled the day before because frontman Dennis Lyxzén suffered a massive heart attack. On 10 September 2024, the band announced US dates for a 2025 farewell tour alongside a tribute album for The Shape of Punk to Come . Refused started as a "fresh-faced positive hardcore band" and their music became increasingly progressive and radical, as did their lyrics. The record This Just Might Be...
9792-548: Was coined as D-beat , a term referring to a distinctive drum beat that a number of 1980s imitators of Discharge are associated with. Another UK band, the Varukers , were one of the original D-beat bands, Scottish band the Exploited were also influential, with the term "UK 82" (used to refer to UK hardcore in the early 1980s) being taken from one of their songs. They contrasted with early American hardcore bands by placing an emphasis on appearance. Frontman Walter "Wattie" Buchan had
9894-587: Was fired from the band and no longer considered them friends. The band responded by stating that they fired him in 2013 "because he did not share our passion for the band." On 25 November 2014, the band announced that they would perform their first shows in three years at the Reading and Leeds Festivals , Groezrock and Amnesia Rockfest in the summer of 2015. They also headlined Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas in May 2015. Around
9996-659: Was followed by a number of other successful artist-run labels—including BYO Records (started by Shawn and Mark Stern of Youth Brigade), Epitaph Records (started by Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion), New Alliance Records (started by the Minutemen's D. Boon and Mike Watt ), as well as fan-run labels like Frontier Records and Slash Records . Bands also funded and organized their own tours. Black Flag's tours in 1980 and 1981 brought them in contact with developing hardcore scenes in many parts of North America, and blazed trails that were followed by other touring bands. Concerts in
10098-518: Was originally released on vinyl in 2016 as part of Record Store Day. On 2 July 2019, it was announced that Refused would be partnering with video game developer CD Projekt Red , creating and recording original music for then-upcoming video game Cyberpunk 2077 . The members of Refused provided music for a fictitious band in the in-game universe, punk rock group SAMURAI; which includes fictitious musician and terrorist Johnny Silverhand, portrayed and voiced by Keanu Reeves ; while Lyxzén provided vocals on
10200-410: Was perceived to be "a very narrow definition of what fits into Punk", apparently being "authoritarian and trying to dominate the scene" with their views. During the 2001–2009 United States presidency of George W. Bush , it was not uncommon for hardcore bands to express anti-Bush messages. During the 2004 United States presidential election , several hardcore punk artists and bands were involved with
10302-452: Was produced primarily by Nick Launay and featured two songs produced by Shellback . The opening track "Elektra" was released as the lead single. On 20 November 2017, members of Refused revealed on social media that the band has been in the studio working on their next album. In May 2018, the band released the Servants of Death EP which contained a new song, a b-side and four live songs. It
10404-603: Was then a member of the band Impact Unit, and drew the artwork for the DYS album Brotherhood . In 1982, Modern Method Records released This Is Boston, Not L.A. , a compilation album of the Boston hardcore scene. In addition to Modern Method was Taang! Records , who released material by a number of the aforementioned Boston hardcore bands. Further outside of Boston were Western Massachusetts bands Deep Wound (which featured future Dinosaur Jr. members J Mascis and Lou Barlow ) and
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