The Used performed Lies For The Liars to a packed-out crowd at Northcote Theatre on Monday night, celebrating 25 years of emo goodness. We were there to capture it all.
The Used have well and truly proven their staying power in the ’emosphere’ with their massive Australian tour celebrating 25 years of the band. Performing their first three albums in full across three nights (and blessedly giving their fans with dodgy knees an early 10pm or thereabouts finish), it’s been a whirlwind of nostalgia.
On Monday night, the band wrapped up their second three-day stint in Melbourne at Northcote Theatre with Lies For The Liars – and the fans were more than ready to get amongst it.
Hevenshe (Tonight Alive’s Jenna McDougall) opened the night with a set that balanced grit and vulnerability, pulling the crowd in from the first note. Hevenshe trades pop-punk urgency for something rawer and more personal, while still carrying that same fire. Her sound leans into grunge-tinged alt-rock, equal parts heavy and heartfelt, and live it feels disarmingly intimate, while still commanding her own space on stage.
Before long, the room was packed to the gills and it was time for The Used. Frontman Bert McCracken is a seasoned professional at having the crowd hanging on to every lyric and every mid-set interaction – and it was clear as day from the opening moments of their set.
Going down memory lane for one of the band’s most iconic albums (complete with a massive Chadam head looming over the stage), The Used soared between highs and lows as the fans sung (and screamed) along.
The energy wasn’t just locked to the pit floor, though – with Bert getting multiple fans on stage to dance along as The Used continued to rip through their setlist.
By the end, the energy was high, the nostalgia was real, and the band was handing out roses (how very emo) to the die-hards at the barrier. While this tour celebrates everything The Used was, is, and will become, it’s clear from Monday night that this is equally a celebration of the fans that got them here.
Check out our full gallery from the night, with photos by Richard Hallendorff.
The Used @ Northcote Theatre Gallery
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