Short Stack
Short Stack were an Australian rock band originating from Budgewoi, New South Wales. They formed in 2005. They're very well known due to the invention of Short Stack TV, a series of YouTube videos starring the band, mucking around, being the band. Short Stack have in the past supported numerous bands such as Simple Plan, Good Charlotte and The Veronicas, and they've now accumulated quite a large fanbase.
A major part of their success has come from their use of the Internet to promote themselves, and a large number of their fans are from outside Australia. While the majority of their Australian fans happen to be teenaged girls, they do have a number of older and wiser fans who still like the band.
In April 2012, the band decided to go their separate ways. Shaun Diviney has announced plans to pursue a solo career in music. It is unknown what will happen to the third album.
The band were:
- Shaun Diviney (lead vocals, guitar)
- Andy Clemmensen (backing vocals, bass)
- Bradie Webb (drums, keyboards)
Discography:
Albums:
- Stack is the New Black (2009)
- This Is Bat Country (2010)
- Art Vandelay (supposed to be released in 2012, but with the end of the band, it's now unknown).
Singles:
- Shimmy a Go Go (2008)
- Princess (2009)
- Sway, Sway Baby! (2009)
- Ladies and Gentlemen (2010)
- Sweet December (2010)
- Planets (2011)
- We Dance To A Different Disco, Honey (2011)
- Bang Bang Sexy (2011)
- Soul (2012)
EPs:
- Shimmy a Go Go (2008)
- Sweet December (2009)
- Planets (2010)
Short Stack provides examples of the following tropes:
- A Day in the Limelight: "The Back Of My Head" is the only song where Shaun doesn't sing everything (Andy sings the verses, Shaun sings the chorus)
- Angst: Part of the reason "In This Place works is that it doesn't turn into Wangst- which, for a suicidal breakup song written by a teenage boy band, is an impressive feat.
- Bishonen: One of the main insults made against the band is 'They look like girls'. They don't really- it's their hairstyles.
- Blondes Are Evil: The blonde in the "Planets" video is an alien with a razor-sharp tongue. Literally.
- Break Up Song
- Companion Cube: Their logo, which they have dubbed Maurice the Pirate. He even has his own MySpace page.
- Media Research Failure
- Darker and Edgier: This Is Bat Country, which is much darker and rock-oriented as opposed to the crazy happy Stack Is The New Black.
- Epic Riff: "In This Place", "Shimmy a Go Go", "Drop Dead Gorgeous", "Sway, Sway Baby!", "Sweet December".
- Mr. Fanservice: Oh God yes...
- Did I mention that Bradie tends to perform with his shirt off? Just saying...
- Everyone Went to School Together
- Hope Spot: In the "Planets" video, the band searches for a mysterious something, which is revealed by the blonde alien's torture victim to be another alien. Shaun starts to leave the building with the alien... and then they get caught by the blonde alien's minions.
- Interspecies Romance: Shaun and the Bunny in the "Princess" and "Sway, Sway Baby!" videos. The Bunny cheats on him with Andy in the latter video.
- Kill It with Fire: The "Sweet December" video.
- Let's Get Dangerous: In the video for "We Dance To A Different Disco, Honey", the band plus the pale alien are about to leave a building when a group of ninjas turn up. Out of nowhere, the pale alien pulls her robe off and kicks arse.
- Les Yay: Your Mileage May Vary, but there were more than a few hints of it in the "Planets" video.
- Literal Metaphor: The blonde alien from the "Planets" video has a razor-sharp tongue. Cue lots of blood.
- Literal-Minded: When Short Stack demonstrate the 'birds and the bees', they get rather literal.
- Lyrical Dissonance: "It's4U", for a start. "I write your name in bullets/so you're the last thing through my head"...
- "One Step Closer": "I got a way with words, and you got away with murder".
- "Sway Sway Baby": "Sway sway baby, you're so audio! Kill your boyfriend, we could be together!"
- Murder the Hypotenuse: "Sway, Sway Baby!" "Kill your boyfriend/We could be together". Right...
- Naughty Nurse Outfit: In "Ladies and Gentlemen"
- No Mouth: The other alien in the "Planets" video covers her mouth with her hand, only to reveal when she takes her hand away that she has no mouth.
- Non-Appearing Title: "Shimmy a Go Go"
- Performance Video: The "Sweet December" and "Sway Sway Baby!" videos.
- Shout-Out: This Is Bat Country is a Shout-Out to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Shaun has said that they're fans of the novel.)
- Signature Song: "Sway, Sway Baby!" or "Princess".
- Silly Love Songs: A lot of their songs are this.
- Surreal Music Video: Very much so.
- What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made on Drugs?: Quite a few of their videos.