Wednesday 13 August

Support: Hands Like Houses

Tuesday night at the Tivoli was fuelled by nostalgia for many with The Used taking over for the second night of their 25th anniversary tour here in Brisbane. The band is currently touring and performing a whopping twenty-one shows across Australia over the course of a month, with each evening dedicated to playing one of their first three albums from start to finish. Tuesday night saw the band tackle their self-titled debut from 2002.

This wasn’t a normal gig for many, but a blast from the past and being teleported back to 2002 when the album first came crashing into their lives. Though I’m Gen Z and was one of the younger attendees, even I felt the nostalgia in the air. As an emo teen who grew up in a small country town, I had always dreamed of going to gigs like tonight. To be able to attend and be surrounded by many who were re-living their teen years was amazing, and even I felt teleported back in time to those days I wish I could have been a part of.

The night opened with Hands Like Houses, an Aussie local rock band coming from Canberra and supporting The Used for the first half of the tour. The crowd was hooked on these guys as they quickly took the stage with confidence and control. Opening with their song ‘Wildfire‘, a stunning song that sounds even heavier live than the recorded track. Vocalist Josh Raven instantly brought the energy, and as the set went on, more and more people were singing, swaying and jumping along to tracks like ‘The Water‘, which has a more upbeat feel-good vibe to it and ‘Parasite‘, which had the crowd jumping with infectious energy as the powerful riffs took over the room.

During the set, they made sure to thank the crowd for turning up for them, highlighting how encouraging it is to see fans turning up and supporting Aussie acts, especially post covid and how that has affected the local scene.

Then came my favourite part of most gigs which was the chosen cover for the night, the guys delivering a sick cover of Chris Isaacs‘ song ‘Wicked Game‘. A stunning cover which has mesmerizing vocals attached to it. Soon things started to come to a close with the alluring lyrics and heavy instrumentals of ‘Paradise‘, where Josh could be found in the pit singing up close and personal with fans and jamming along with them.

They then tied it all together and brought it to a close with their track ‘Heaven‘ which
left the crowd buzzing as they impatiently waited for The Used to take the stage. As the lights came back on, people moved in even closer to get the best spots, get some final drinks and ready for the rest of the night ahead.

As the lights dimmed, anticipation washed over the crowd.. The show began with a
video projection featuring archival footage of clips and interviews surrounding the debut record. As someone who is more of a newer fan of the band it was incredible to see these old clips and get a bit of a taste of who they are. Once the clip ended, it dove into a dramatic curtain drop with the guys jumping straight into the first track, ‘Maybe Memories‘. As soon as Bert McCracken started singing, fans erupted with excitement as they sang along to the familiar track.

‘The Taste Of Ink‘ was an obvious fan favourite. The crowd instantly took over and sang the lyrics as loud as possible before Bert could even finish the first line of the verse. The song feels nostalgic in the best way possible, and the live version felt therapeutic.

Even when the set took a more slower turn that didn’t make the crowd go quiet as
everyone sang along to ‘Poetic Tragedy‘ at the top of their lungs as they swayed before picking the energy back up with ‘Buried Myself Alive‘ and ‘A Box Full of Sharp Objects‘ which featured a sick snippet of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit‘ by Nirvana which had the crowd ecstatic.

Not only was the music fun but the way Bert genuinely enjoyed interacting with the
rowdy crowd is what made the night even more special. The whole set you could see the smile plastered on his face even from back row as he interacted with everyone in the room from throwing one of his energy drinks to a member of the crowd which was met with cheering as they caught it, sculled the can and threw up the empty can in a matter of seconds to Bert doing a shoey with a fans shoe that got thrown on the stage after he refused to do one from his own shoe. He expressed his love for Brisbane by telling the room, “Brisbane, you’re my best friends” as he shared how he recently got his Australian citizenship, saying, “I’m one of you now, it feels good to be Aussie,” as the room erupted with applause for him.

‘Noise and Kisses‘ soon than took over, being described as one of their more emo
songs, before the night took another slower, heartfelt turn with ‘On My Own‘,
accompanied by the confession from Bert, “I might cry on the next song.” As he
performed, members of the crowd were singing loudly and holding their friends and
partners close. It was a raw and heartfelt performance, and even when he had to stop
for a moment to gather himself from the raw emotions that took over, fans weren’t upset at him, instead they cheered him on and encouraged him to keep going when he was ready.

Finally, the night started to draw to a close with ‘Pieces Mended‘, followed by the
explosive song ‘Choke Me‘, ending the night on an absolute high. When the song came
to an end, there were no encores, just the perfect conclusion to playing their debut
album in full.

The way the set flowed shows how good the album was and still is. Being able to hear a full album front to back is a treat not to be taken for granted and something I wish was a more common theme for bands to do and have some fun. There is something so spectacular about being able to hear an album played fully and take you to the moment you heard it in full for the first time.

Overall, the night was spectacular. The music was raw, emotional, and nostalgic for
fans young and old. There was a mix of elder emos and next gen coming out to support
The Used, which was bittersweet. A common theme with this scene is the discussion of mental health and the struggles, and it’s touching and brings hope to see a venue
packed with adults who made it through those times, celebrating the music that was
there for them and many others.

Review by Alastair Butterworth

Photos by Reece Trudgen

Please credit Reece and PitPass if you repost.