Two bits of really exciting news emerged last week – two of the most influential names in punk/hardcore music, At The Drive-In and Refused have reformed, and are playing the 2012 Coachella festival. Needless to say, I was pretty excited when I heard this news.
The impact that these two incredible bands have had can not be underestimated. At The Drive-In were an utter power house – the most talked about band of the early noughties and probably the best rock band on the planet at the time. Their melodic, buzz saw brand of punk was so angry, so dangerous and so loud. ATDI were a like bunch of mad scientists – Cedric and Omar were the crazy chemists of the band, fronting the band with their wild hair whilst making even wilder music. The duo, combined with the more straight-laced rhythm section, crafted and calculated a sound that was as unwieldy as it was precise and deliberate.
Relationship of Command remains one of my favourite albums to this day. ATDI’s explosive sound was matched only by their explosive relationship with each other. This caused them to part ways in 2001, which left us with the hit-and-miss Mars Volta, and the downright mediocre Sparta. Thank Christ they are back together, the world is a better place with them in it.
Unfortunately I wasn’t present that day, but from all accounts their 2001 Big Day Out appearance was one of the most incredible performances in the festival’s history. Here is a snippet of that infamous show:
Sweden’s Refused didn’t have any of the commercial success of At The Drive-In, nevertheless they are a band with a massive cult following and never ending bags of critical praise. In 1998, Refused knew they were going to break up (one member left the group to form the superb (International) Noise Conspiracy). Before doing so, they recorded what is widely regarded as one of the finest punk/hardcore albums of all time. The ironically titled The Shape of Punk to Come is a lesson in punk rock – thoroughly angry and anti-establishment, yet so precise and polished. This band are the very antithesis of bands such as New Found Glory and Good Charlotte – anarchic, aggressive and intelligent. An extremely influential band in punk/hardcore circles, many fine artists cite this band as a heavy influence. This band certainly changed the way I looked at punk music. I am glad to have them back.
