Review: The Used at Metropolis Fremantle
The Used at Metropolis Fremantle
w/ Hevenshe
Sunday, August 31, 2025
Fans lucky enough to make it to the first of The Used’s three Perth shows on their 25-year anniversary tour were treated to a ripper of a night.
The Used are close to wrapping up their Australian tour, celebrating the milestone by playing standalone shows in each capital city showcasing their first three albums, The Used (2002), In Love and Death (2004) and Lies for the Liars (2007). The first jettisoned the young Utah four-piece onto the world stage and arguably remains their best album, while the second and third entrenched them as a major international influence with sustained success. Together, these records paved the way for a catalogue now spanning 10 studio albums and a consistent touring schedule that has seen them return to Australia time and again.
It was the last day of winter, and, finally, it was Perth’s turn on the last leg of the tour—or at least it would have been before sell-outs across Australia required venue upgrades and additional shows! Anyway, night one, album one: the self-titled debut that instantly catapulted the band to international prominence. To many of their fans, the album ushered in more complex and heavily nuanced songwriting for the screamo and post-hardcore scene, with lyrics that were relatable at the time but evidently still hold value today.
No wonder these shows had to be bumped up from Magnet House. Metros Freo was packed to the rafters, and the crowd vibes were going ham with an all-in singalong to the house music of Murder on the Dancefloor and Chop Suey. Everyone was fizzin’ for it in their all-black attire, and the room felt so packed it seemed like everyone had suddenly grown to six foot five, making it hard to get a line of sight. It was go time!
The set started with a throwback video to the very early days of the band at some festival with singer Bert McCracken’s emo thoughts that things are the way they are meant to be, or some line just as cheesy. And we loved it! Then it was straight into the familiar whirr of the air raid siren of the first song, Maybe Memories, signalling we were about to go live. The very grateful audience was ready, with The Used bursting onto the stage and into the opening riff, with Bert handing over the vocals to the obliging audience.
Bert’s Boys™ were appreciative of the “bunch of rowdy mofos here tonight,” who were at fever pitch to express their connection to this heavily influential band and sing along to this scene-defining and now nostalgic album. McCracken’s vocals were still on point, bolstered by bass player Cpt. Haircut (Jepha) with the screams and guitarist Joey Bradford with the harmonies. Perched on a precariously high riser, Dan Whitesides held it down on the tubs, keeping everyone in time while adding his signature fills. By mid-set, virtually nobody in the room had stopped singing—crowd participation at a level rarely seen.
The Used tore through their debut album from start to finish, pausing only for brief interludes such as a few riffs from Papa Roach and Nirvana, plus some of the usual chit-chat to amp up the crowd. The whole album is an absolute banger live, with standouts being Maybe Memories, The Taste of Ink, Bulimic, Say Days Ago, Poetic Tragedy, Buried Myself Alive, A Box Full of Sharp Objects, Blue and Yellow, Greener with the Scenery, Noise and Kisses, On My Own and Pieces Mended—yes, every song on the album. It is that good! To top it off, they even did the secret track that all the fans know from letting the CD play to the end.
The band’s onstage sound has drastically improved over time, and they still have all the energy and skills to entertain. The main difference nowadays is that there’s less of the dark and stormy vibes that shaped their early years and more straight-up positive energy. Everyone had giant smiles the whole night and left with ears ringing from their fellow elder emos on their left and right getting in some vocal practice for the first time in a while.
Earlier in the night, Sydney’s Hevenshe opened the show. Their set featured pre-recorded tracks with just two performers on stage—the singer and guitarist, Jenna McDougall, and a rather expressionless drummer. Their brand of feel-good indie rock was easy to listen to, but their reliance on backing tracks made for a somewhat perplexing, choreographed performance. McDougall can clearly sing like nobody’s business and looked the part with a killer rock-and-roll look and great hair, but a full live band with more hooks and riffs would have suited the occasion better.
The Used’s final Perth show is tonight (3/9) at Metros Freo for album three with tickets still available, then it’s on to the final two added shows in Sydney this Friday (5/9) and Saturday (6/9) at the Liberty Hall. Get down. It’s totally worth it!
SHANE ELLIS
Photos by Linda Dunjey
