The Used: 25th Anniversary Tour (UK)

NIGHT 1: ‘Lies For The Liars’ @ The Dome, London 22/05/2025

The Used performing at The Dome, London

Setlist:

1. The Ripper

2. Pretty Handsome Awkward

3. The Bird And The Worm

4. Earthquake

5. Hospital

6. Paralyzed

7. With Me Tonight

8. Wake The Dead

9. Find A Way

10. Liar Liar (Burn In Hell)

11. Pain

12. Smother Me

The Used kick-started their 25th anniversary tour in The UK with their 2007 album, ‘Lies For The Liars’. The band are performing their first three albums in full across various cities. The albums were celebrated in reverse-chronological order in The UK, starting with ‘Lies For The Liars’ and finishing with ‘The Used’. I imagine they chose to perform their third album at The Dome, a 600 capacity venue in London, because it isn’t as festival friendly as the other two, containing lesser-known gems. It was also released on May 22, coincidentally the same day as this London gig. As Bert McCracken (frontman) realised, their most dedicated fans bought tickets for this intimate event. I arrived an hour before doors were due to open at 7pm and saw a queue of eager fans donning band memorabilia. There was no VIP option this time, which was a shame. I avoided the pit, as it is inevitable for The Used’s crowds to get rough once the excitement builds. The week-long bruises are part of the experience.

Lacey

There were two opening acts, Lacey from Nottingham and Winona Fighter from Nashville, USA. Lacey are made up of Graham “Gaz” Turner (vocals/bass), Josh Lewin (guitar), Pete Maksymiw (guitar) and David Pearson (drums). Elements of their music reminded me of DayTime TV, who I’d seen open for Kaiser Chiefs last year. Lacey’s songs have a lot of depth to them and really pack a punch. Their biggest song, ‘Dream In A Little Less Colour’, which they’d kept for last, left us wanting more. GT showed off his “charming stage banter” and did his best to “build a rapport” with attendees. His hard work seemed to pay off, though Winona Fighter made a bigger impact on the crowd when they filled the small space with their much heavier sound. WF is composed of Coco Kinnon (frontwoman), Dan Fuson (lead guitar) and Austin Luther (bass). CK’s vocals were astounding and the band sounded flawless. Their enchanting cover of Blur’s ‘Song 2’ and their best-known song, ‘HAMMS IN A GLASS’ were highlights for me. WF opening for The Used when both bands were scheduled to play Slam Dunk Festival was a clever move, as they pefectly set the mood for the main event.

Winona Fighter

As soon as The Used came onstage, everyone in the room felt like one big family. As well as BM, the band members include Jeph “Jepha” Howard (bass), Joey Bradford (guitar) and Dan Whitesides (drums). All of the band members were a delight to watch. They have mastered how to entertain a crowd and, although the night was short, I doubt anybody went home feeling under-whelmed. BM interacted with the crowd between songs, making fun of a woman for not knowing the words one minute and jokingly calling a man at the barrier “Dad” the next. A dozen or so stand-out fans were invited up for fan-favourite, ‘Paralyzed’, half-way through their set. There was a massive surge forward, since so many people were desperate for the opportunity to become one of BM’s backing dancers. This is allegedly the band’s favourite part of the show, though the selected few were told to keep their phones in their pockets! They are always creating memorable moments for their fans. One woman dropped her goat-shaped earring when she was exiting the stage and BM held it up and referred to himself as “The G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time)”, which was hilarious.

The goat and the G.O.A.T.

As the night drew to a close, we were treated to a mesmerising performance of ‘Pain’. The B-Side surprised me since it doesn’t appear on any of the albums. We were all instructed to cry together for the last song, ‘Smother Me’. A group of fans around me happily obliged, obviously emotionally invested in the music. Optimistic fans shouted ‘Quesedilla!’ in hopes of hearing the quirky hidden track at the end of the album. I already expected the song would be left off the setlist, as I had read discussions about the US leg of the tour. The evening was magical and it was great to hear BM scream again, after JH had taken over the strenuous parts for the last while. It was odd leaving without hearing some of their staples but I still had two Slam Dunk Festival dates at the weekend to look forward to!

NIGHT 2: ‘In Love And Death’ @ Slam Dunk Festival South 24/05/2025

The Used performing on Main Stage East, Slam Dunk Festival South

Setlist:

1. Take It Away

2. I Caught Fire

3. Let It Bleed

4. All That I’ve Got

5. Cut Up Angels

6. Listening

7. Yesterday’s Feelings

8. Light With A Sharpened Edge

9. Sound Effects And Overdramatics

10. Hard To Say

11. Lunacy Fringe

12. I’m A Fake

The Used performed their 2004 album, ‘In Love And Death’, in front of an adoring crowd in Hatfield. Their slot was after Rock band Finch and led into one of the most anticipated acts of the festival, Electric Callboy. It is hard to pick a favourite album of The Used’s, though I would lean towards this one because of undeniable classics such as ‘Take It Away’, ‘All That I’ve Got’, ‘Sound Effects And Overdramatics’ and ‘I’m A Fake’. There are delicate songs on this album too, including ‘Cut Up Angels’, which I never thought I would hear live because of its dark and personal lyrics. Many people grew up with this album, which is likely why The Used drew such a huge crowd. BM’s stage presence, for me, remains unmatched. He pointed out signs and poked fun at a girl in the front row who kept showing off her ‘In Love And Death’ tattoo, of a noose tied around the iconic red heart. The band members were full of smiles, which were completely contagious. BM introduced most of the songs in humorous ways – “This is another song about sexual intercourse!” for e.g. A young boy cheered, which caused uncomfortable giggles amongst the crowd. Fans couldn’t help going wild, as it had been a few years since the band attended the festival. Fans had come out in droves. Hundreds knew all of the lyrics, proving how memorable and powerful they are. Many even recited the poetic opening lines of ‘I’m A Fake’, without fault. The band excluded their cover of Queen and David Bowie’s ‘Under Pressure’, which famously concludes ‘In Love And Death’. Their tumultuous relationship with My Chemical Romance, who also featured on the track, is probably to blame.The happiness of the band members shone throughout their performance and captivated everybody around me.

NIGHT 3: ‘The Used’ @ Slam Dunk Festival North 25/05/2025

The Used performing on Main Stage East, Slam Dunk Festival North

Setlist:

1. Maybe Memories

2. The Taste Of Ink

3. Bulimic

4. Say Days Ago

5. Poetic Tragedy

6. Buried Myself Alive

7. A Box Full Of Sharp Objects / Smells Like Teen Spirit snippet (with Sean Smith from The Blackout)

8. Blue And Yellow

9. Greener With The Scenery

10. Noise And Kisses

11. On My Own

12. Pieces Mended

13. Polly

14. Choke Me

I squeezed close to the stage on the third and final night, for their 2002 debut album, ‘The Used’. Murmurings spread throughout the pit about how dangerous things were about to become. I braced myself by planting my feet firmly on the ground. It didn’t take long for chaos to ensue, as their most well-known song, ‘The Taste Of Ink’, was the second to be performed. From then onwards, it was a challenge to stay upright. The crowd pushed, shoved and crowd-surfed nonstop. I barely managed to catch my breath during the slower songs, ‘Blue And Yellow’ and ‘On My Own’. The crowd’s energy was infectious and I had a better time than I thought I would, fighting to remain conscious. I enjoyed the inside information BM gave us, such as ‘Poetic Tragedy’ being a poem before it was a song. Sean Smith from The Blackout was brought onstage for one of the heavier songs, ‘A Box Of Sharp Objects’. I only managed to snap one photo of him which wasn’t a complete blur. ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ (Nirvana) was an unexpected cover and further energised the crowd. The hidden track ‘Polly’ caused some confusion when BM started singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to himself. ‘Choke Me’ was also amazing to hear, as it is the kind of song I would turn down low if anybody walked into the room because of the obscene lyrics. It fitted in perfectly at a festival, however. I couldn’t see any gaps in the field when I turned around. Hopefully The Used will still be going as strong in another 25 years!

GALLERY