Noughties hit rockers Short Stack back on the road for 15th anniversary of debut album

The skinny jeans and giant fringes are gone but noughties rockers Short Stack are still big with the kids as they sell out shows.

When he’s not staging the latest comeback of noughties pop punk band Short Stack, frontman Shaun Diviney is one of the NSW Central Coast’s top real estate agents.

“I’m a real estate agent, which is super punk rock, hey?” he said.

“I feel we always stop and start the band because music is so different now and life changes; we’ve all got kids and families and it’s hard to be a touring musician with kids.

“But it’s the coolest thing to bring the kids to shows with us now.”

Diviney swaps the business shirt for his rock uniform as he and bandmates Andy Clemmensen and Bradie Webb return to their night job this weekend, in celebration of the 15th anniversary tour of their 2009 debut album Stack Is The New Black.

Short Stack lost the big hair but kept the big hits. Picture: Shaun Williams

The shows sold out quickly with some venues upgraded to meet demand to see the poster boys for the noughties’ scene of black skinny jeans, eyeliner and voluminous side fringes.

While their look has shifted, late 2000s hits including “Shimmy A Go Go”, “Sway, Sway Baby!” and “Sweet December” influenced by their love of Blink 182, Green Day and Fall Out Boy, remain in vogue with rusted-on fans.

“I think our fans connected with us starting in high school and the fun element to what we did and people liked being a part of that,” he said.

“And there were a lot of bands that were sort of put together or manufactured at the same time that we came along where we were a little bit more authentic.

“I suppose we were probably too ugly to be a boy band. So we kind have that going for us.”

This is what noughties rock look like. Picture: Supplied.

In the wake of Short Stack releasing their fourth album Maybe There’s No Heaven in 2022 on independent powerhouse UNFD, the band’s team was negotiating to buy back the masters of their early recordings, a la Taylor Swift.

The masters became government assets after their previous label dissolved.

“We own them now, which is f...ing wild. Our managers did a great job of getting them back because we’d thought, whatever, it’s never going to happen,” Diviney said.

Regaining the rights to their music matters as Short Stack head back out on a tour to play their debut album in full to an audience that not only includes their OG fans, but whose ranks have swelled by newcomers who have discovered them on social media.

Diviney is a real estate agent by day and rocker by night.

Diviney was shocked recently when his seven-year-old son asked his dad why his teacher knew all the Short Stack songs and was intrigued teens in the front row at their sets at Good Things festival in 2023 and again during their regional tour.

The frontman also points to the band’s determination to keep tickets affordable as cost of living pressures decimate young people’s entertainment budgets as one of the reasons behind the tour’s success.

“We noticed a lot of kids, 18 and 19, during the regional tour; I guess they have older siblings who grew up with us, who know our gigs are this fun night out where no one is taking themselves too seriously,” he said.

“Cost of living is insane now and out tickets are under $80 but that’s a lot of money to people, you know so we want to make sure they have a good time for their money.”

For all tour dates and last remaining tickets, https://www.shortstackband.com/

Originally published as Noughties hit rockers Short Stack back on the road for 15th anniversary of debut album