The energy was high at The Tivoli as eager patrons waited for a night of nostalgia with New South Wales’ finest, Short Stack. At the peak of ‘emo’ culture in 2009, the group entered the scene, donning all black and heavy side-swept bangs. Their debut ‘Stack Is The New Black’ came out right at pop punk’s peak, released around the same time as My Chemical Romance’s ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’, Piere the Veils ‘Collide with the Sky’, Paramore’s ‘Brand New Eyes’ and Fall Out Boy’s ‘Folie à Deux’. Short Stack took their love of the genre and brought it to Australia. No wonder ‘Stack Is The New Black’ rose straight to #1 in the ARIA Charts! Now, they’re celebrating 15 years of the chart-topping, record-breaking and nostalgic album.
Considering their impact, it was no wonder the line wrapped around the corner of the street by The Tivoli as hundreds of die-hard fans waited excitedly to see their favourite throwback band. The room filled up quickly, as did the merch line, allowing the space to be full for the first act of the night, Days Like These. Their stage presence was fantastic! As just a small 3-piece, their sound was so full. “I’m sure none of you know who we are, so we’ve prepared a little present for you.” Announced the lead vocalist before covering 3OH!3’s iconic DONTTRUSTME. The crowd excitedly sang back each lyric, especially the memorable “Tell your boyfriend if he says he’s got beef, that I’m a vegetarian and I ain’t f*cking scared of him”. The lighting throughout their set was incredible, lots of pinks, blues and greens, which added to the amazing energy of the band. “We’ve got a few more songs left… this one’s called Show Me Love… If you know it, shake your booty!”. Dark synths and an infectious, heavy bassline opened the track. With each song, the members all got a chance to showcase their vocals with the drummer opening one song while playing, the guitarist singing flawless high harmonies, and the lead vocalist demonstrating his incredible vocal control and breath support. They thanked the bands, the venue and the crowd before singing their final song and heading off stage.
Whoever was running the playlist had the right idea, as the crowd sang along to staples of the genre, Scotty Doesn’t Know by Lustra and Teenagers by My Chemical Romance. This left the energy high for Friends of Friends, opening with arpeggiated synths and a deep, robotic voice introducing the band. Frontman Barnaby Baker showcased incredible vocal control, supported by the synergy of his band; clearly, the group was filled with seasoned performers. “This was the very first venue I ever attended… and now we’re here supporting Short Stack? That’s crazy!” said Barnaby, almost in total disbelief. “What are you proving girl by breaking hearts I’m begging you please. Just tell me what it is I have to do.” He sings in the chorus of the emotional track Human. The guitars are infectious in Attention before bringing the emotion back with Graves. The set ends with a cover of Paramore’s Ain’t It Fun as the crowd clapped and screamed along to the bridge.
Between the dark eyeliner and black shirts, was a room packed to the brim of excited patrons, ready to see sing their lungs out to all Short Stack’s best tracks. The room went black as the set started exactly as the album does with Ladies and Gentlemen. The crowd erupted in noise as soon as the group hit the stage, screaming every single lyric back. They stayed true to the album, following with 2 of the band’s biggest hits Princess and Shimmy A Go Go. “How do you feel?” announced vocalist Shaun Diviney. “I feel too old for this… Do you feel sexy? I feel sexy!”. They played mid-record tracks, the high-energy Drop Dead Gorgeous and emotional Counting The Stars. “We released the album 100 years ago… we wrote one or two of the songs when we were in high school” said Diviney on the latter, “This is a slow one. Get your flashlights on!” They followed this with a medley of Before Angels Fall, One Step Closer, 17 and It’s 4 U. The band delved further into their long -spanning career, playing Amy from 2015’s ‘Homecoming’ and Armageddon from their most recent record, 2022’s ‘Maybe There’s No Heaven’. The room turned black as drummer Bradie Webb took centre stage, drumming solo to a remix of Daft Punk’s Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, bright lights flashing on and off as he played.
Album closer Thick as Thieves was played next, signifying the night was coming to an end. The track felt as high-energy as it did when it was first released, bringing a wave of nostalgia among the crowd. They followed this with Shotgun Wedding, one of the band’s newest singles, proving the band’s still got it! “I’m reaching out. I’m reaching out. I’m reaching out to get to you,” sings Shaun, introducing the instantly recognisable Planet from the band’s 2010 sophomore album ‘This is Bat Country’. The crowd sang the lyrics back louder than they had all night, jumping up and down in time with the music. The lights went dark as the band left the stage, ready for the classic game of encore peek-a-boo. The crowd began cheering and yelling “One more song!”, heart rates running, as they waited for Short Stack to come back on stage. And, of course, the band delivered.
“We dance alone tonight because…” opens Shaun, introducing crowd favourite We Dance to a Different Disco, Honey. The crowd went wild, screaming back each and every word of the song. The Back Of My Head followed, staying true to the album we all came out to celebrate. Adrenalin was high in the room as two quick hand claps played, introducing the group’s biggest high Sway Sway, as the room roared with excitement. “Reach for the stars, kid, I’ve been wondering” sang Shaun amongst the noise. The crowd even flawlessly sang back every lyric of the fast-paced bridge, proving how deeply this track slipped into the psyche of Australian teens only 15 years ago. The energy was amazing as the house lights came on and hundreds of joyful patrons left The Tivoli, spilling out onto the Fortitude Valley streets, ready to settle in (or kick on!) after such a high-energy, nostalgic night. The band and their supports played incredibly, setting the bar high on only night 1 of their ‘Stack Is The New Black’
Destroy All Lines Presents
SHORT STACK
15 YEARS OF ‘STACK IS THE NEW BLACK’
2025 AUSTRALIAN TOUR
FRIDAY 6 JUNE – THE TIVOLI, BRISBANE
SATURDAY 7 JUNE – LIBERTY HALL, SYDNEY
FRIDAY 13 JUNE – THE GOV, ADELAIDE
SATURDAY 14 JUNE – THE FORUM, MELBOURNE
FRIDAY 20 JUNE – ASTOR THEATRE, PERTH
Thanks to Dallas Does PR
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