Holly Hazelwood

1 week ago | spectrumculture.com | Holly Hazelwood

Nobody can ever predict what will happen to a band once they’re born. Sometimes, they fizzle out and die without anyone ever hearing them — but, sometimes, they blow up and become cultural touchstones.

1 week ago | spectrumculture.com | Holly Hazelwood

Revolution Hall, Portland, OR4/8/2025Refused are fucking dead. But what does this really mean? When the Swedish hardcore game-changers broke up following the release of their seminal third album, The Shape of Punk to Come, they did so in the form of a letter titled, of course, “Refused Are Fucking Dead,” named after a track on their then-months-old record—a title later used for a documentary about the band’s last year together.

2 weeks ago | spectrumculture.com | Holly Hazelwood

Polaris Hall, Portland, OR4/5/2025It’s rare to bear witness to the end of something beautiful; it’s even rarer to watch it end in a place that feels gratifying to be a part of. “After nearly 16 years of bad language and random tempo decisions” (in the band’s words), Beak> co-founder (and Portishead multi-instrumentalist) Geoff Barrow announced he was stepping away from the band.

2 weeks ago | spectrumculture.com | Holly Hazelwood

Roseland Theater, Portland, OR4/3/2025It’s hard to know how to talk about what makes a Darkside performance feel especially remarkable without being there. Yes, that’s a cop-out, but do this: listen to “Golden Arrow” from their 2013 debut Psychic, then 2021’s “The Limit” from that year’s comeback Spiral. Done? Now, listen to “Golden Limit,” the fusion of both songs that appeared on the 2023 live record Live at Spiral House.

2 weeks ago | spectrumculture.com | Holly Hazelwood

Aladdin Theater, Portland, OR4/2/2025If Trevor Powers—who most know by the moniker Youth Lagoon—seemed like he was in a funky headspace, it’s probably because he was. This isn’t to say anything was amiss; quite the opposite actually, as nothing indicated any additional emotional turmoil occurring underneath Aladdin Theater’s stage lights—at least not until the moment Powers addressed the audience to share that he had just lost someone very near and dear to him: his keyboard.