When The Used first emerged in the early 2000s, they gave a voice to a generation caught between angst and catharsis. Twenty-five years later, their music still hits with the same urgency. This August and September, the band is celebrating its milestone anniversary in Australia with a near sold-out tour built around full-album performances of their first three records: The Used (2002), In Love and Death (2004), and Lies for the Liars (2007).
These albums didn’t just launch The Used into international recognition; they redefined what post-hardcore could be, balancing vulnerability with ferocity, melody with chaos. It’s no surprise they’ve sold millions of copies worldwide and remain touchstones for fans who grew up with them, as well as new listeners discovering them for the first time.
Ahead of the anniversary shows, frontman Bert McCracken sat down with Rolling Stone AU/NZ to revisit his favourite songs from each record. In looking back, he reflects not only on the music but also on the moments that shaped The Used’s journey, from their scrappy beginnings in Utah to becoming one of the most influential bands of their era.
The Used (2002)
“Poetic Tragedy” would be my first choice for the self-titled album. And “Poetic Tragedy” was actually a poem before it was a song. I had written that poem a long time before I even got with The Used, and it was one of those moments in music where I didn’t even have to rewrite anything. The poem just fit the song exactly, it was really special.
My second favourite would be “Noise and Kisses”. It’s really challenging live, it’s really high and I just love that challenge. This song means a lot, we recorded it in London and it was one of the three or four songs that we did in London on the first record. It’s really special.
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And I’d say “On My Own” as well for another favourite. We wrote that at Olympic Studios in London and recorded it there. It was just such a special, magical experience singing out of the same mic that John Lennon sang out of. That was awesome.
In Love And Death (2004)
My first favourite from this record would be “Hard to Say”. It was one of the moments in music where I got to experience what I think music is really about, and that’s putting all your feelings in the moment into a song. My first girlfriend overdosed on drugs while we were making the record and my producer pulled me into the studio and made me write about it. And we got “Hard to Say” out of it. It’s one of the most special songs The Used has written.
Favourite song #2 from In Love And Death would be “I’m a Fake”. The opening poem is just such a powerful moment live, and when you hear people chanting the poem right back at you, it’s incredible. “I’m a Fake” is really upbeat and it also keeps people in the circle pit which is really fun.
And “Take It Away” is just such an amazing opener for a record. It hits really hard, and it’s super fun to play live and have people shouting along. It’s great.
Lies For The Liars (2007)
The first song I’d pick from Lies For The Liars is “Smother Me”. It’s one of the songs we’d never, ever played live, and it goes down really well. We hear a lot about people having it as their wedding song, and how it means so much to people. In those moments it’s really special. We’ve had some proposals on stage too, it’s been really cool.
The second song would be “Wake the Dead”, it’s such a different and interesting song. It’s got such a different swing to it, and it’s also got one of my favourite bridges of any The Used song ever. It breaks down into this crazy melodic moment that’s really special.
And my third song from Lies For The Liars would be “The Ripper”, another cool opener that comes out swinging. It’s heavy as fuck and it’s hard to sing live, which makes it a cool challenge. And it’s one of those ones where the crowd just immediately starts going!
The Used 25th Anniversary Tour Dates
With special guests Hands Like Houses & Heavenshe
Tickets on sale now from destroyalllines.com
THURSDAY 14 AUGUST – THE TIVOLI, BRISBANE SOLD OUT
^ playing In Love And Death
w/ special guest Hands Like Houses
SATURDAY 16 AUGUST – THE TIVOLI, BRISBANE SOLD OUT
# playing Lies For The Liars
w/ special guest Hands Like Houses
SUNDAY 17 AUGUST – LIBERTY HALL, SYDNEY SOLD OUT
* playing Self Titled Record
w/ special guest Hands Like Houses
TUESDAY 19 AUGUST – LIBERTY HALL, SYDNEY SOLD OUT
^ playing In Love And Death
w/ special guest Hands Like Houses
WEDNESDAY 20 AUGUST – LIBERTY HALL, SYDNEY FINAL TICKETS
# playing Lies For The Liars
w/ special guest Hands Like Houses
FRIDAY 22 AUGUST – NORTHCOTE THEATRE, MELBOURNE SOLD OUT
* playing Self Titled Record
w/ special guest Heavenshe
SATURDAY 23 AUGUST – NORTHCOTE THEATRE, MELBOURNE SOLD OUT
^ playing In Love And Death
w/ special guest Heavenshe
MONDAY 25 AUGUST – NORTHCOTE THEATRE, MELBOURNE SOLD OUT
# playing Lies For The Liars
w/ special guest Heavenshe
TUESDAY 26 AUGUST – HINDLEY ST MUSIC HALL, ADELAIDE VENUE UPGRADE
* playing Self Titled Record
w/ special guest Heavenshe
THURSDAY 28 AUGUST – HINDLEY ST MUSIC HALL, ADELAIDE VENUE UPGRADE
^ playing In Love And Death
w/ special guest Heavenshe
FRIDAY 29 AUGUST – HINDLEY ST MUSIC HALL, ADELAIDE VENUE UPGRADE
# playing Lies For The Liars
w/ special guest Heavenshe
SUNDAY 31 AUGUST – METROPOLIS, FREMANTLE VENUE UPGRADE
* playing Self Titled Record
w/ special guest Heavenshe
MONDAY 1 SEPTEMBER – METROPOLIS, FREMANTLE VENUE UPGRADE
^ playing In Love And Death
w/ special guest Heavenshe
WEDNESDAY 3 SEPTEMBER – METROPOLIS, FREMANTLE VENUE UPGRADE
# playing Lies For The Liars
w/ special guest Heavenshe
FRIDAY 5 SEPTEMBER – LIBERTY HALL, SYDNEY SECOND & FINAL SHOW
* playing Self Titled Record
w/ special guest Heavenshe
SATURDAY 6 SEPTEMBER – LIBERTY HALL, SYDNEY FINAL TICKETS
^ playing In Love And Death
w/ special guest Heavenshe
