SHADY NASTY AT LA LA LA’S
“Make sure to take care of each other. At the same time, go as hard as you can.” Frontman Kevin Stathis of band Shady Nasty called out between songs to a sold out packed in crowd at La La La’s. Right now, Shady Nasty is a name with a bunch of buzz. Since the start of 2025, they’ve released their anticipated debut album TREK, headlined Mary’s Newtown for King St Crawl Festival, played the elusive Phoenix Central Park, and released huge collab track “Air Maxes” with Kettama and Fred Again.. So, it’s no wonder.
For some, this is a long time coming. The three piece– which is Kevin Stathis, Haydn Green and Luka Watson–is not some industry plant suddenly rubbing shoulders with huge names for no good reason. They have put in the work on stages across Australia for years now. Creating a sound that has always been completely their own - a hybrid style of punk, alt-hip hop and dance music. I think they’re just getting what they deserve.
Coming down from the mezzanine onto the floor at La La La’s, there wasn’t much space left. While some were trying their best to remain protected on the sidelines, the crowd in the middle was ebbing and flowing, restless like an ocean, itching to get back to business once the next song hit. Their live shows always have an impressive, almost irresistible, draw of energy. Like a swimmer in a rip, I was dragged in and couldn’t get out.
After my one and only crowd surf, I had lost my phone, beanie and necklace. I resigned myself to the fact that they were lost and simply enjoyed the rest of the set. I was not alone here. Once the band finished, there were a dozen other punters searching the floor of La’s with their phone flashlights. Having given their all in the last half hour of frenzied back and forth, many had lost phones, jewellery, clothing and whatever other loose items had been shaken free. Like the ‘good game’ handshake at the end of a footy match, people who were pushing and scrambling over each other just moments before were now helping each other out, swapping and changing their findings with the people who were missing them. By the end of the night, I had found my phone, my beanie and my necklace.
It is always exciting to see an act you're personally connected to rise out of the scene and onto bigger things. In my second year of uni, when my workload and everything else seemed to be right on top of me, there was comfort and relatability in Shady Nasty’s "Bad Posture” and “CLUBSMOKE” EP’s. Headphones on in the library, pulling my scariest face, with “Get Buff” on repeat. Kevin’s lyrics have always been a highlight for me. They are painted with contemporary Sydney life and a sense of humour that feels genuine. I think this is where the familiarity stems from, it reminds me that they are just guys from Sydney, too. It will be a little odd to see them on the stages of award shows in the near future, but not surprising.
With the first TREK album tour earlier this year and this current TREK CONTINUED regional tour both completely selling out, the name Shady Nasty is definitely catching on, gaining more fans by the second. Now, recently announced is their next tour with another alt hip-hop star and a personal favourite, Sidney Phillips (I had an obsession with Sidney earlier this year and wrote about them in this gig guide from May). This too, I suspect, will be a sold out show. Obviously, there are no plans on slowing down yet.