LIVE REVIEW - Short Stack brings nostalgia back to those who needed it

Releasing five albums across their career with the most recent being only three years ago now, fans of Short Stack are eager for another hit. With the advertisement of Short Stack’s intention to play through their debut album released all of 15 years ago, no one could get their hands on tickets fast enough with three shows sold out by mid-February. People were hungry to feed their inner child the punk songs they’d been craving and it was the right time for it with the stress facing the live music enjoyers of Brisbane.

With a late doors opening coinciding with Days Like These landing on The Tivoli’s stage, a great deal of the crowd missed the first few songs from them in favour of the venue running an on time programme tonight. Days Like These kept the heat going nevertheless as plumes of bodies piled into the venue to hear the new sound from this trio.

‘PRIMADONNA’ was among the first songs I managed to catch and if confidence was lost because of the timing, Callen Batson wasn't going to let it show with his screams. Covering 3OH!3’s ‘DON’T TRUST ME’ as an icebreaker for the rest of the crowd, the very comprehensive tracks kept the crowd satiated for the final moments of the song with a heart-pounding synth line, showing that dedication to a valuable reproduction of a covered ballad.

‘Show Me Love’ left nothing to be desired short of a live bass player (hmu, you know who to contact 😉) but those are my biases spilling through for how metal has been through my life. The strong vocal runs led to a half-time section yearned for by so many in the crowd with secondary soprano vocals offered by the drummer. ‘Bloodshed’ finalised a busy thirty minutes and to say it didn't set the mood for the night to come would be treason punishable by double-time breakdown. A hall-of-fame opener to come walked off the stage that night and my hope is that a lot of onlookers realise the same.

There's something to be said about the camaraderie of the fans and how welcoming one can be to another at heavy emo/metal shows. Knowing what I was up to with my head buried in my phone writing this, the lovely fans beside me offered me a chair and better view of the stage as others who'd stood in front of us had a few really nice things to offer in passing. Taller fans moving out from the front of shorter crowd members is a courtesy not offered by many other genres and it's all contrary to this menial stereotype that has to be busted: the idea that metal listeners are out for themselves and bitter individuals when the most supportive environments come from those same shows as what I feel in both this show and Bilmuri earlier in the week. 

The same feelings spread across the venue as ‘Thanks Fr The Mmrs’ from Fall Out Boy and MCR’s ‘Teenagers’ played through the PA to a glorious unison of every fan across the inverted panopticon. 

One set only the worst of fans would be missing the start of was Friends of Friends who bursted under the red light with a vocal warning from tracks. Although the spoken word from the robotic voice was a tad incoherent, we heard every word that came next. ‘Heaven’ channeled the right feeling with tracks leading directly into ‘Morphine’, giving us everything right with a sound that reflected a deliciously heavy fusion of The 1975 and Porter Robinson’s latest vibe. ‘END OF THE WORLD’ didn't disappoint with the live version and its rich tracks that saw lead singer Barnaby Baker standing atop the bass drum to give everyone in the venue the visual experience. What Short Stack really did was give the people a show without even being on stage with their support picks as these four blessed the audience’s ears. I can easily say Friends of Friends are going to make my playlist toppers for a good amount of time after this show, particularly ‘Human’ which the band were gracious enough to give us for free.

‘GRAVES’ and ‘WOLFGANG’ revealed themselves to be the highlights in the set as everything my pop-punk loving ears could want from the onstage quartet. ‘Ain’t It Fun’ from Paramore was the final from the band as an ode to their hearts and a gratuity to their attention. A singalong in the bridge came easily to the crowd, a song many had grown up with and a personal message to those too young to know. 

I was 30mins into the wait for Short Stack’s arrival and felt myself regretting saying no to that chair but didn't seem like I was the only one with others opting for a quick sit to get a moment of relief before the headliner’s appearance. Moreover, leaving the doors opening time until the same moment as Days Like These hitting the stage felt a little frustrating given the long wait times between sets. Allowing all fans in before the first performance would give better wait times and an opportunity for those held up in the line to catch the opening act but I love to have a complain, really.

One ‘Self Esteem’ singalong was later interrupted by a small teaser of pyrotechnics before we finally got to the final boss of tonight’s event. 

‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ physically rocked my pavilion as every member of the crowd jumped to the pre-chorus beat with obscure chants triggered by vocalist Shaun Diviney. With enough space for a quick reunion in the middle near drummer Bradie Webb, a small amount of coordination on stage positioning went a long way as they finished and played a jam into the intro of ‘Princess’. What was obvious from the first moment was the synchronisation between the onstage sound and the lighting, performing in perfect mimicry as an illegitimate 6th member of the performance, the 5th being the crowd themselves on vocals. Feeling “too old for this” as his energy waned, Shaun gave the tracks a moment to make themselves obvious for ‘Shimmy A Go Go’ with that synth line every devotee knew better than another. What would come as no surprise to anyone was the tightness of the set and how well-rehearsed everything felt, a feat that's impossible for some bands to achieve so well like Short Stack did here.

Another song started to justify the long wait for their appearance as the tucked-back rhythm guitarist slammed those heavy and chunky chords with a fine selection of drives and other effects. Bassist Andy Clemmensen was quick to complain at Bradie the moment the song ends in what was an imperceptible mistake from a perfect performance. 

Shaun coordinated the crowd next in a grand “FUCK YOU, BRADIE!”

The phone flashlights came out next for a slow one from the group with the loudest singing from the crowd yet and ‘One Step Closer’ where the haze had cleared up enough to see just how hard that drummer is working between every slice of brass and plastic skins surrounding him. ‘Amy’ arrives with that unmistakable synth line and double time drums where a long silence held almost no one in suspense with every patron knowing the band’s antics too well before continuing the song. ‘Armageddon’ showed itself as among the new releases but playing into the legacy of Short Stack’s popularity with the ‘na’s in the main hook but absolutely no one minded; this is the band of so many childhoods that music showing its age like this doesn't matter when nostalgia is among the driving ticket sellers. An easy highlight from the show was Bradie Webb getting his own moment to solo over a breakdown using Daft Punk’s ‘Harder Better Faster Stronger’ featuring fancy stick finesses and a mental sweep picking/tapping solo on guitar. As the only member on stage during this, no one hesitated to give him the right support for a cardiac and calisthenic nightmare. ‘Thick As Theives’ saw another imperceptible mistake from their touring rhythm guitarist as the band takes the most passive James Brown impression of the same treatment Bradie received earlier in the show.

Easily one of my most favourite on-stage dialogues came from this show:

Shaun: “It's getting close to that time, dude.”
Andy: “You meant that time where we pretend it's our last song and we walk out and back on?”
Shaun: “Yeah, that time. Is this gonna be our last song?”*
Crowd: “NOOOOOOOO!”

‘Planets’ was that “last” song where I also discovered that it was in fact possible to still be surprised by the sparklers on the outside of the stage as a perfect display of pyro.

The walk off came and “SHORT STACK SHORT STACK SHORT STACK” was the chant of choice during the longest I've waited for a band to come to the stage again; anyone else sensing a theme for the night? ‘We Dance To A Different Disco, Honey’ was the response met with applause as we danced at the same show together in an act of defiance that our rebellious teenage selves would be proud of. ‘The Back of My Head’ was the anthem to fans who've since grown up with a life partner and children to get back home to and vocalist Shaun knew it. The crowd showed their appreciation in the best way they knew how: every word filled the air by heart. 

One final encore made the perfect epilogue after a heartfelt speech from Shaun about how grateful he is to know how many lives Short Stack’s music touched. ‘Counting The Stars’ was the topper with Jurassic Park-levels of floor shaking and excitement. 

One final photo from the stage came with horns, peace signs, and hearts from the hands of adoring fans before the rest of us piled back out to AFI’s ‘Miss Murder’, a perfect cap to the night and even better start to our weekends.

The gallery for the extravaganza is available here.