Review and pix by Craig Eriksson
On Thursday night at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, The Living End rocked their hometown with the launch of their new single ‘Alfie’. For those fans fortunate to secure a ticket to this SOLD OUT intimate show, it was a phenomenal night of incredible Aussie rock ‘n’ roll from one of our best.
The Living End are:
Chris Cheney – Lead Vocals / Guitar
Scott Owen – Double Bass / Backing Vocals
Andy Strachan – Drums
I first saw The Living End back in 1997 with a bunch of my mates at the Corner Hotel in Richmond and we were hooked from the get go. Over the past 30 years, I’ve seen them countless times at many iconic music festivals like Big Day Out, Falls Festival, Pyramid Rock, Fed Square, Soundwave, A Day on the Green (Rochford) and By The C (Torquay). I also saw them play smaller, more intimate shows at iconic Melbourne live music venues like the Palace Theatre, The Hi Fi Bar, 21st Century, Prince Bandroom, Ruby’s Lounge and The Forum. In more recent years, I saw them at Good Things Festival (Flemington) last year and several Red Hot Summer Tours (Mornington Racecourse) including the recent ZZ Top and George Thorogood RHS show just two weeks ago, where they first premiered their new single ‘Alfie’.
‘Alfie’ is the first new music by TLE since 2018’s ‘Wunderbar’. Chris Cheney described ‘Alfie’ as a rock ‘n’ roll wake up call to the music industry to start playing more local (Australian) music on the radio to help support, promote and save Australian music. Covid crippled the Australian music industry and saw many live music venues close down. It was devastating for many musicians, roadies, live music venues who struggled to make a living in music over the past 5 years and had to try and find other jobs outside the music industry. Cheney encouraged everyone to go out to a gig (any day of the week), buy some merch (tee, vinyl or CD) and keep live music alive and thriving and support all these wonderful Aussie artists and live music venues.
The Living End emerged on stage and launched straight into ROLL ON, followed immediately after by SECOND SOLUTION and had the crowd in the palms of their hands from the get-go. The fast paced PICTURES IN THE MIRROR was next and showcased Cheney’s vocal range which remains clear and strong. Cheney is also an amazing guitarist and seeing him play some complex guitar parts and fast rockabilly licks on his beautiful Gretsch White Falcon (which was custom-made specifically for him) is so damn cool. TLE play incredibly tight, with a lot of passion, attitude and muscle and sound much larger than a 3-piece band. They are electrifying and played at full pace for the majority of the one and a half hour set. HEY HEY DISBELIEVER and HOLD UP were a bit slower to give them time to catch their breath before rippin’ it up with crowd favourite ALL TORN DOWN. Scott Owen is absolutely brilliant with his standout backing vocals, stage antics and immense presence on double bass. All Torn Down was written back in 1998 with powerful lyrics:
“I see the City and it isn’t what it used to be / A million houses going up and down in front of me / No time to let the concrete set before it’s just broken up again / Don’t care if it’s historic / don’t really care at all.”
These lyrics still ring true today when I see so much population growth, expansion and development going on in and around Melbourne.
In between songs, Cheney talked about the Corner Hotel saying “this is where it all began”. Back in the day, Cheney and Owen did a Wednesday night residency in the front bar when they were just 16-years of age. I believe the band was originally called The Runaway Boys and they played covers of the Stray Cats and The Clash. They later changed the band name to The Living End. They got this name from the film ‘Rock Around The Clock (1956) in which the phrase “the living end” was used in the film to mean “far out” or the “greatest”. Cheney and Owen were influenced by the 1950’s era and wanted a neutral name that didn’t suggest a specific musical style.
Cheney then said they have a new album that is already made, packaged and ready to be released soon and it’s an absolute banger. Cheney said it’s been 7-years since they last released new music and they’re so excited about their new album. Cheney asked the crowd if they wanted to hear some new songs from the upcoming album. YES! They then launched into new song MISERY, which sounded great. They ended up playing several new songs during the show which included the anthemic, adrenaline-fuelled new track ALFIE getting crowd participation shouting “Bag It Up, Bag it All Up Now Alfie” in response to Cheney singing ‘Alfie’ in the main chorus. They also played STRANGE PLACE. Fans seemed to love the new songs and applauded loudly.
HOW DO WE KNOW from White Noise (2008) followed with its distinctive opening guitar riff and Owen and Cheney both sing together on this song. BLOODY MARY is a storytelling song that has a slow, swampy, surf twang sound that seamlessly blends punk and rockabilly, reflecting the band’s diverse range of music. Some of TLE’s songs almost touch on a bit of alt-country too. CARRY ME HOME from the 2001 Roll On album was fast and furious with a blend of blues groove, which the crowd went wild for. The frenzy continued as they led into WEST END RIOT with the crowd chanting so loud and enthusiastically that it felt like a riot was about to break out. During the song Cheney jumped on top of Owen’s double bass while continuing to play his guitar and sing.
Cheney then spoke in between songs about all the late nights rehearsing with Scott & Andy and his wife saying “make sure you come home straight after rehearsal”. (Yes Dear) Cheney then gets drinking with the band after rehearsal and gets home drunk in the early hours of the morning and his wife starts telling him off. Cheney says all he hears is WHITE NOISE as they tear into this song. Not sure how his wife feels about that?
The Living End has built up a strong reputation as one of Australia’s best and most exciting live acts to see and they keep getting better and better each time I see them. There are so many words that come to mind when attempting to describe their high energy and intense live performances. TLE consistently ‘tear it up’ on stage and their energy is next level. These guys show no sign of slowing down either. Cheney’s driving guitar riffs and anthemic choruses, Owen’s rockabilly percussion thumps and blistering tempo on his double bass is mindblowing as he strums, swings and rides the double bass like he’s riding a wild brumby. Then you have Strachan pounding the drums providing the beat, rhythmic pulse and tempo of their punk rock / rockabilly songs. You don’t know which one of them to watch as there is so much going on. Throughout the show, there are no dips or fillers, they just power along as they blaze their way through the set. Cheney was soaked to the bone by the end and Owen was looking around for a coldie (VB).
The encore started as an instrumental interlude with Cheney showcasing his incredible guitar skills playing old music (as described by Cheney). Cheney led with MR SANDMAN (bring me a dream) which then blended into the groovy E BOOGIE. During this song Cheney cracks open a VB stubbie and uses the bottle as a slide on his guitar before sculling the remainder of the beer. They continue with an AC/DC cover of DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP which had the crowd punching their fists in the air and shouting out the song title. The vibe in the bandroom was exhilarating and when PRISONER OF SOCIETY followed the crowd exploded. It was a you-had-to-be-there-moment. The night finished with the fun and humorous UNCLE HARRY. This song creates an Oktoberfest kinda vibe with everyone singing in unison and in a jovial and cheeky manner bellowing out the chorus: “Whoa / Uncle Harry pissing in the bath / Whoa, pissing in the bath / Uncle Harry pissing in the bath / Whoa pissing in the bath again”
The Living End’s reputation as a kick-arse live band lives on and I can’t wait to get my hands on their new album when it’s released and head out to see them perform it live.
SET LIST:
Roll On
Second Solution
Pictures In The Mirror
Hey Hey Disbeliever
Hold Up
All Torn Down
Misery (new song)
How Do We Know
Bloody Mary
Alfie (new song)
Carry Me Home
West End Riot
White Noise
Encore:
Mr Sandman / E Boogie / Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Strange Place (new song)
Prisoner of Society
Uncle Harry