Refused to cancel festival gig after heart attack of singer Dennis Lyxzén

Popular Swedish punk rockers Refused had to cancel their performance at Stockholm’s Rosendal Garden Party festival this weekend after singer Dennis Lyxzén announced he had suffered a heart attack. The show, which was touted as the band’s last festival appearance in Sweden, was canceled after Lyxzén was hospitalized and doctors ordered him to rest.

“This morning I had a massive heart attack in my hotel room. It was extremely painful and incredibly scary,” the singer said on Thursday (June 13) alongside a photo of him in hospital hooked up to a range of medical machines. “Thanks to the wonderful doctors and nurses at Uppsala Hospital, I’m still here and can fight another day. I’m fine under the circumstances. I’m sore and tired and really shaken up.”

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

“I really hate cancelling shows but the doctor said we can’t do rock for a few weeks,” Lyxzén continued. “That means the @refused show at @rosendalgardenparty is off.”
It’s a real shame because I was really looking forward to it. But hopefully we can make it up to you soon.” He said the good news is that his doctors believe that with medication he can be back on his feet “hopefully sooner rather than later.”

The band released a trio of blistering post-hardcore albums in the 1990s, including their 1994 Smash Mouth debut, This could be the truthfollowed by the equally glowing Songs that stoke the fire of discontent and the LP that is considered their creative high point, the 1998 album The shape of punk of the futurewhich added some jazzy and experimental elements to the songs, again carried by Lyxzén’s primal howling vocals.

After the separation after the tour for shape — Lyxzén later formed The (International) Noise Conspiracy — they reunited in 2012 for a tour and two more albums, 2015 Freedom and 2019 War music.

Lyxzén ended his message on a note of hope and gratitude, concluding: “Life is strange and precious. Take care of each one and tell your loved ones that you love them.”

The post received a lot of love from Lyxzén’s punk brethren, including Thursday singer Geoff Rickly, who wrote: “Keep calm. Rest easy. We need people like you, man” and Epitaph Records founder/Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz, who wrote: “Sending you love and warm wishes for a speedy recovery, my friend”; Epitaph published FreedomThe singer also received support from the bands Snapcase, Sick of It All, Lars Frederiksen from Rancid, Thursday and DJ Steve Aoki, among others.

See Lyxzén’s post below.