Secondhand Serenade To Return To Australia After 16 Years With A String Section

After 16 years away from Australian stages, Secondhand Serenade, the project of Californian singer-songwriter John Vesely, will return in December for three exclusive shows, this time accompanied by a symphony string section.

Secondhand Serenade began in 2004 when Vesely started recording heartfelt acoustic songs in his Menlo Park, California, bedroom. Armed with only a guitar and a four-track recorder, he uploaded tracks to MySpace, quickly becoming one of the platform’s biggest success stories. His confessional songwriting and intimate sound connected instantly, giving voice to the hopes and heartbreak of the “MySpace generation.”

His self-released debut album Awake (2005) became an underground favourite and was reissued by Glassnote Records in 2007. At a time when emo-pop was making inroads into the mainstream, Vesely’s stripped-down delivery, one man and a guitar, set him apart, creating an immediacy that felt more like a diary entry than a pop song.

The real breakthrough came with 2008’s A Twist in My Story. Its lead single, “Fall for You,” transformed Secondhand Serenade from an online cult act into an international chart force. The track hit No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, went multi-platinum in the U.S., and became Vesely’s definitive anthem.

In Australia, “Fall for You” became a radio staple and earned platinum status. It was a song that resonated deeply with Australian fans, finding its way into high school formals, heartbreak mixtapes and late-night singalongs. Sixteen years later, it remains the centrepiece of every Secondhand Serenade show, instantly recognised from its opening piano chords to its soaring chorus.

While “Fall for You” remains the signature song, Vesely’s catalogue stretches across two decades and five albums. Awake introduced the acoustic diary-like sound, while follow-ups such as Hear Me Now (2010) and Undefeated (2014) added fuller production and rock leanings. Songs like “Your Call,” “Maybe,” “Find Somebody Else,” and “Not Enough” expanded his reputation as a songwriter able to balance vulnerability with melody.

Thematically, Vesely’s songs have always revolved around love, loss and redemption. His lyrics, often written in first person, give listeners the sense of reading from his personal journal. That intimacy has remained the core of his connection with fans.

Secondhand Serenade shows are known for their raw emotional power. Fans describe them as cathartic events where strangers sing together, bonded by the universal themes in Vesely’s music.

For his return to Australia, Vesely is taking things further with the addition of a full orchestral string section. The symphonic backing promises to lift songs like “Fall for You” and “Your Call” to new heights, underscoring the drama and intensity already present in the arrangements.

For Australian fans, this tour is a long-awaited reunion. Many fans first discovered Secondhand Serenade as teenagers in the 2000s and will now return as adults to revisit the songs that shaped their youth.

Secondhand Serenade Australian Tour 2025
• Friday, December 19 – Max Watts, Melbourne
• Saturday, December 20 – Manning Bar, Sydney
• Sunday, December 21 – The Triffid, Brisbane

Tickets from www.thephoenix.au

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Tagged as: 00s, emo, John Vesely, pop, Secondhand Serenade, USA