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Drink up: Australia’s 10 most memorable musician ‘shoey’ moments

From ambivalent newbies like Harry Styles to outright objectors like Tyler, The Creator, here are the 10 best, worst and most notable shoey moments from musicians in Australia

By Tom Disalvo
Harry Styles and Post Malone, two pop stars with very different attitudes to the ‘shoey’.
Credits: JMEnternational / Getty Images, Don Arnold / WireImage

Ah, the beloved shoey. An Australian tradition rivalled only by Bunnings sausage sizzles, the practice of pouring one’s beer into one’s shoe then proceeding to chug is a cultural staple about as iconic as Neighbours. What was once reserved for daytime barbeques alongside a Hills Hoist-slung goon sack has bled into the mosh pits and setlists of live shows across the country, a trend some have dated back to 2010 via early adopters Luca Brasi.

Last week, international megastar Harry Styles diminished his heartthrob status by agreeing to a shoey during one of his Australian shows. The move sent the Twittersphere into a tizzy, shining a fresh global spotlight onto a tradition that some Australians might prefer remain in our own backyards. But despite the many headlines as Styles grabbed for his beer-soaked Gucci sneaker, he’s far from the first musician to put his foot in his mouth.

Just as the shoey itself remains a polarising pastime, either celebrated or lamented by artists and audiences alike, so too is the diversity of those who’ve done one. Ranging from bonafide shoey flag bearers like Post Malone to abstainers like Tyler, The Creator, here are the 10 best, worst and most notable shoeys performed – or not performed – by musicians in Australia.

Harry Styles

Possibly the highest-profile musician to ever do a shoey, Harry Styles joined the phenomenon during the Perth stop of his ongoing ‘Love On Tour’. The feat is particularly applaudable given that at a 2018 show, Styles refused to do a shoey and deemed the practice “disgusting” – a descriptor he used again when relenting last month.

@jessheathau

Harry Styles and the Shoey in Perth #fyp #perth #harrystyles #harry #styles #aus #auslot #lot

♬ original sound – Jessica Heath

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Maisie Peters

Hot on Styles’ heels (pun intended), Maisie Peters last week revealed she was hell-bent on doing a shoey. She got her chance during her Sydney show days later eagerly drinking from a boot that she later admitted had been worn for months. “I think I will do [shoeys] everywhere I go,” Peters told The Daily Telegraph, “and make them a permanent part of the show.” For that, Australia collectively apologises.

@maisiehpeters

the thing about me is… if i say i’m going to do a shoey, i’m going to do a shoey #livelaughlove

♬ original sound – maisie peters

 

Post Malone

Seemingly preferring a sweaty vessel to an actual glass, Post Malone reportedly did a shoey at every single show he opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers on their Australian tour this year. This was in some ways to be expected – Posty downed plenty of tinea-infused ale while touring Down Under in 2018 and 2019, and had his shoey-doing likeness immortalised by meme artist Lushsux in a mural in Melbourne that’s inspired plenty of others to do the same.

Tyler, The Creator

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Tyler, The Creator is perhaps one of the shoey’s most steadfast objectors, rejecting the custom during his headlining set at Splendour In The Grass 2022. “You can [chant] all you want,” Tyler told the crowd, “I don’t give into peer pressure.” Tyler’s refusal later sparked calls for the shoey to be banned, though the rapper did compromise with the equally bizarre stunt of spitting on his leg. “Ya’ll are fucking weird,” Tyler laughed. And who could disagree?

@vivitulip

tyler refuses to do a shoey #tylerthecreator #tylerthecreatorsydney #shoey #sydney #australia

♬ NEW MAGIC WAND – Tyler, The Creator

 

Kacey Musgraves

For an artist who once ended a performance riding off on a horse, a shoey might seem like a cakewalk. But at the Sydney stop of Kacey Musgraves’ 2019 tour, the singer joined the Styles camp by refusing the ritual. However, she later acquiesced in Melbourne, even upgrading it with tequila and the classier vessel of a glass slipper.

 

Stormzy

What better way to celebrate your 24th birthday than with a celebratory shoey? Stormzy did just that during his 2018 show in Sydney. According to Metro UK, the rapper even launched a tipsy live-tweet session afterward, telling fans “I AM DRUNK, I DONE A SHOEY ON STAGE, TONIGHT WAS PHENOMENAL”.

 

Grouplove

Perhaps the best kind of shoey is one totally unprovoked. On triple j’s Like A Version in 2016, Grouplove caught the radio hosts by surprise when bassist Daniel Gleason capped off the performance with an unprompted beer-chug from his well-worn Vans sneaker. Two years later, triple j would host yet another shoey by Superorganism band member Orono Noguchi. Both felt somewhat appropriate, though: Superorganism were covering Post Malone, and Grouplove ‘Bullshit’ by noted shoey devotees Dune Rats.

 

Yungblud

Though he might’ve bent the rules of the shoey during his 2018 Splendour in the Grass set, Yungblud’s reinvention of the party trick earns points for ingenuity. The British rocker used a guitar to funnel his shoe-poured beverage – perhaps to aerate any lingering bacteria, though hygiene probably wasn’t a concern for a singer who once put his own used chewing gum up for sale.

 

Aminé and Story Of The Year

Notable for the way they happened in quick succession, Story Of The Year and Aminé both did shoeys at their respective shows within the span of a week in April 2018. For his part, Story Of The Year frontman Dan Marsala said the practice was evidence that Australians were “fucking weirdos”, while Aminé enlisted a fan on stage and opted for champagne.

 

Jack Harlow

In one of the more cringe-inducing entries on this list, calls for Jack Harlow to do a shoey during his 2022 Splendour performance were rendered moot when the rapper revealed he doesn’t drink, making him something of an anomaly at an Australian festival. “Never thought I would need translation in Australia,” Harlow quipped amid “shoey” chants. “I hope y’all aren’t asking me to drink.” Needless to say, no sneakers were soiled during Harlow’s set.

@triplejradio

@Jack Harlow didn’t come to australia to be peer pressured into a #shoey at #splendourinthegrass

♬ original sound – triple j

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