The Used are in the middle of a huge milestone.

Celebrating 25 years as a band, they’ve nearly sold out an entire run of shows across Australia this August and September, where each night fans are treated to full-album performances of their first three studio albums: The Used (2002), In Love and Death (2004), and Lies for the Liars (2007). These albums didn’t just define a band — they helped shape the sound of early 2000s alternative rock, influencing a generation of fans and artists alike.

With demand so overwhelming that extra shows had to be added in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney (plus venue upgrades elsewhere), it’s clear how much this music still means to people. And with special guests Hands Like Houses and Hevenshe sharing support slots, the anniversary tour is as much a celebration of what’s ahead as it is a look back.

Ahead of the shows, Tone Deaf asked frontman and songwriter Bert McCracken to pick his favorite tracks from each of the three albums being performed in full. From the raw urgency of their self-titled debut to the anthemic heartbreak of In Love and Death and the dark theatrics of Lies for the Liars, here are McCracken’s top tracks from each, and the stories behind them.

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.

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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.

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