The Living End- Sounds Better Together

The coronavirus pandemic has been catastrophic for the live music industry, with many music venues the first to close and the last to be able to reopen. The Mushroom Group and Victorian Government have partnered for a series of COVID Safe concerts across the state under the banner of Sounds Better Together. Tonight's show that I attended, which only went on sale last week, was The Living End at Forum Melbourne.

It was a bit strange to have seats on the floor of the Forum, but groups of ticket holders were safely spaced from each other. Opening the night was four piece Melbourne punk band Bakers Eddy. They played a very energetic set, with the lead singer taking out his microphone with his guitar during one song. They had people standing up out of their seats by the end of their set.

The Living End tried to begin the evening with "Pictures In The Mirror" but had two false starts as Scott Owen's bass wasn't working. Third time was a charm though and there was some relief from the band when they got through the whole song. The set list covered songs from throughout their extensive catalogue, with old favorites like "Second Solution," "Roll On," "Prisoner Of Society," "All Torn Down" and "White Noise" alongside some deeper album cuts such as "'Til The End," "Bloody Mary," "Hold Up," and "From Here On In." 

 

They also played a couple songs off their latest album Wunderbar with "Wake Up The Vampires" and "Drop The Needle." There was a lot of singing and dancing in the crowd, especially once everyone was standing up about a third of the way through the set. For the encore they played a rousing rendition of "Uncle Harry" to finish the evening. It was a great show full of energy and the usual musical prowess of this fantastic live band. I think everyone leaving the Forum felt their spirits lifted post-lockdown and that our city is coming back to life.

Here's the video for "Otherside"

The Living End- Wunderbar Tour

The Living End recently released their eighth studio album Wunderbar and tonight's gig at the Forum was the first of their two shows in Melbourne. The opening act for the evening was South Australian seven piece band West Thebarton. They put on a very energetic set of Aussie rock as their charismatic front man Reverend Ray roamed around the stage.

The Living End began their set with "Wake Up The Vampires" and "Don't Lose It," two of the many tracks from Wunderbar that were played throughout the evening. Other highlights from the album were "Otherside," "Death Of The American Dream," "Proton Pill" and "Drop The Needle."

Considering the band's extensive back catalogue, it's always interesting to see what unexpected tracks will make the set list. Tonight we were treated to "'Til The End," "Bloody Mary," "Loaded Gun," "End Of The World," "Wake Up" and "One Said To The Other." They also played usual favorites such as "Roll On," "All Torn Down," "Second Solution," "White Noise" and "Prisoner Of Society," which had the mosh pit going and finished off the main set. For the encore Chris came out and played "Amsterdam" solo and then the band joined him for the epic "The Room" and a raucous version of "Uncle Harry." Once again The Living End proved they are still one of the top Australian live acts out there.

Here's the video for the latest single "Otherside"

The Living End- "Don't Lose It" Single Launch

A couple weeks ago The Living End announced two intimate pub gigs in Sydney and Melbourne to launch their new single "Don't Lose It." There were a very limited number of tickets available, but I managed to grab one for tonight's show at The Gasometer Hotel.

The venue was packed when the band took to the stage and launched with "What's On Your Radio?" The hour long set was a mix of old classics along with a preview of some of the new songs off their upcoming album that was recorded earlier this year. The standout new tracks for me were "Don't Lose It" and "Proton Pill." They also did a cover of The Beatles' "Help!" in honor of having recorded the album in Berlin. They joked about staying at some really bad Airbnb property for a few days before checking into a nice hotel for the rest of the recording session.

The new material fit in well with their back catalogue, and it was good to hear songs from earlier in their career such as "From Here On In," "Roll On," "Second Solution," "What Would You Do?" and "Long Live The Weekend." The only recent track played was "Monkey" off their last album Shift. For the encore (although they didn't leave the stage) they played an audience request for "Uncle Harry." It was an amazing opportunity to get to see them play in such a small venue, and I look forward to the new album being released later on this year.

Here's the lyric video for "Don't Lose It"

Wild 2 Free Benefit

Wild2Free is an Australian animal sanctuary that rehabilitates native animals (mainly kangaroos). Last year shortly after opening a fire burned down the house on the property, so tonight's sold out benefit concert at The Croxton featuring Area-7 and The Living End was to help raise funds for Rae Harvey (longtime manager of The Living End) to rebuild.

I will admit that I completely missed the years when ska/punk band Area-7 were popular in Australia in the late-1990s and early-2000s. Danny and Ruth did give me a bit of a primer on their songs in the car ahead of the gig. They played an energetic set, managed to auction off a signed poster for $500, and finished things off with a cover of The Angels' "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?"

The Living End opened their set with "Save The Day," which was a bit of a hint that the set list was going to dive deep into their back catalogue for the hometown crowd. The first few releases featured throughout the set with "End Of The World," "Roll On," "Monday," "From Here On In" and "All Torn Down." They even played their eight minute opus "The Room" off Modern Artillery, which I think I've only heard live once before.

The whole show was a bit of a sing along throughout, although Chris thought the crowd's efforts on "White Noise" were a bit weak. The slower tracks "With Enemies Like That" and "Keep On Running" off their latest album Shift provided a bit of a breather, but the crowd surfing really kicked off towards the end of the set with "How Do We Know?" "Prisoner Of Society" and the encore tracks "Uncle Harry" and "Second Solution." It was great to see The Living End play in a smaller venue than normal and contribute to a benefit for such a good cause.

Here's the video for "Staring Down The Barrel"

The Living End- Twangin' At Twilight

The Living End are back together in Australia for their Staring Down The Highway regional tour, but to kick things off they are playing a few Zoo Twilights shows in Melbourne and Sydney. Billed as Twangin' At Twilight, tonight was the first of two nights at Melbourne Zoo. Danny and I found a spot on the lawn and had some Mr Burger for dinner as Gabriella Cohen and her band played a bluesy/indie set of music.

The Living End began the evening with an acoustic set, which included members of The String Sirens providing backing string arrangements to many of the songs. They played stripped back versions of "Moment In The Sun," "Raise The Alarm," "For Another Day" and a reggae version of "West End Riot." They also did covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Down On The Corner" and The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby."

After a short break the electric version of the set started as Chris invited everyone to stand up for the rest of the show. Off their latest album Shift they played "Monkey," "Staring Down The Barrel" and "Keep On Running" with The String Sirens. We also got the classics "Second Solution," "Roll On," "All Torn Down," and "Who's Gonna Save Us?" Highlights of the night for me were an amazing version of "How Do We Know?" with The String Sirens, and someone throwing a bra on stage during "Hold Up," which Andy proceeded to put on his head after the song (and then promptly took off when Chris reminded him that his daughter was in the audience).

For each of the Zoo Twilights shows the band have a special guest on the bill, and we were lucky to have Dan Sultan grace the stage for the Melbourne dates. They played Dan's song "Fear Of Flying," and then Dan sang lead on The Living End track "White Noise." Together they did a cover of Bill Haley's "Rock The Joint" accompanied by a couple friends of Scott on trumpet and saxophone. To finish off the night they ripped through "Prisoner of Society," which had everyone singing along. This was such a special and unique show and probably the first and last time I will ever see The Living End while standing barefoot on a picnic blanket.

The Living End- Shift Tour

It's been five years since The Living End last released an album, so in support of their seventh album Shift they played the first of two sold out shows tonight at The Forum. The opening act for the evening was 131's, a Melbourne four piece punk band full of muscles and tattoos. Next up was Adelaide indie rock band Bad//Dreems. Their lead singer spent most of the set roaming around the stage as the rest of the band kept a driving rhythm going throughout each song.

The Living End arrived on stage to huge cheers and started off the evening with the first single from Shift "Monkey." The set list contained songs from throughout their career, and the newer material such as "Death," "Keep On Running" and "Staring Down The Barrel" held up well alongside their older tracks. The first two albums featured prominently in the set with "All Torn Down," "Second Solution," and "Prisoner of Society" off The Living End, and "Roll On," "Killing The Right" (the best political song I think Chris has ever written), "Pictures In The Mirror" and "Uncle Harry" (an audience request) off my favorite album of theirs Roll On.

"Hold Up" and "What's On Your Radio?" had the crowd jumping and everyone sang along to "White Noise," which was the last song of the main set. For the encore they played a stomping "How Do We Know?" before ending the night with an epic version of "West End Riot" (with a bit of Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild" in the middle of it). All in all it was another amazing show from one of the best live bands to ever emerge from Australia. You know you'll get your money's worth between Chris' guitar playing and the theatrics of Scott and Chris standing on the double bass.

Here is the video for the latest single "Keep On Running"

Fave Albums: The Living End - Roll On

Melbourne's very own The Living End released their second album Roll On in 2000.  Not only does it have their trademark rockabilly/punk sound, but I think it's one of Chris Cheney's strongest albums lyrically as he tackled political issues such as the 1998 Melbourne waterfront dispute on "Roll On" and the stolen generation on "Killing The Right."  There are some absolute rockers on here such as "Pictures In The Mirror," "Carry Me Home," "Don't Shut The Gate" and "Uncle Harry" along side the more melodic tracks "Staring At The Light," "Dirty Man" and "Blood On Your Hands."  It's a very cohesive album that also showcases what an amazing guitar player Chris was even in the early years of the band.

Favorite Lyric: There's too much work and not enough pay ("Roll On")

Favorite Song: "Carry Me Home"

The Longnecks

I had a very special birthday evening last night because I got to see The Longnecks, otherwise known as The Living End, play a sold out show at the Ding Dong Lounge in the CBD. Ruth and Danny joined me for the evening. This was our first time in the Ding Dong Lounge, and it's a nice room. They have tables where you can play 80's video games, which I thought was cool. We enjoyed the second opening act, Yves Klein Blue, a band from Brisbane with a diverse number of great little songs.

The Longnecks came out to a roar from the audience. We were safely positioned by the soundboard off the main floor in order to avoid the mosh pit. The band played a very similar set to the St. Kilda Festival with some more new songs added to the set list since they didn't have a time limit:
- Raise The Alarm
- Hey Hey Disbeliever
- Loaded Gun
- Kid
- How Do We Know
- New Frontier
- Waiting For The Silence
- Faith
- Moment In Sun
- November
- Rats
- Suzy
- 21st Century
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- E-Boogie
- What's On Your Radio?
- West End Riot

A majority of the new songs have a much heavier rock sound than their previous efforts. There was some diversity though and some songs are more polished than others. I'm really curious to see what will make the album and what the final versions will sound like. For the encore they played officially as The Living End, and the energy in the room just went to another level. These guys are amazing musicians and so fun to watch live.

St. Kilda Festival

Today was the St. Kilda Festival along the Esplanade and St. Kilda Beach. Belinda and I headed down to the festival in the afternoon and got there just in time for The Longnecks, aka The Living End. The boys are playing a series of shows around Victoria to try out the new songs in front of an audience before recording. They played a rocking 45 minute set of all new stuff and finished with "West End Riot." I'm really looking forward to seeing them again on Saturday night. After a very delicious hot jam donut break, we hit the Max Beach Stage and watched Operator Please, who sounded great. They even did a cover of Devo's "Whip It." We decided to head for home after their set before it got too chaotic in the evening. It was a gorgeous day down by the beach.

The Age EG Awards

Last night Belinda and I headed down to the Prince Bandroom in St. Kilda for the The Age EG Awards. The evening was MC'ed by actor Angus Sampson and featured a wide variety of Melbourne artists. We missed a majority of the awards because we were eating dinner and didn't get there until an hour after it started. We did see Kim Salmon get inducted into the EG Hall of Fame and a two song acoustic performance by Nic Cester of Jet.

However, the main reason I wanted to attend was to see The Living End play their only concert of this year. The boys are currently recording a new album, but even though they've been in the studio they played an excellent set. The set list:
- Roll On
- We Want More
- I Can't Give You What I Haven't Got
- What's On Your Radio
- One Step Behind
- Uncle Harry
- How Do We Know
- Second Solution
- E-Boogie
- Raise The Alarm
- Who's Gonna Save Us
- Carry Me Home
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- Long Tall Sally (with Nic Cester)
- West End Riot

It was a fast paced hour-plus performance. We had the perfect spot to watch the show off to the side and up on a platform. The horn section from Hunters and Collectors came out to play on "One Step Behind" and a raucous version of "Uncle Harry." We were also treated to two new songs: "How Do We Know" and "Raise The Alarm." The new material sounded like dirty rock and was a throw back to their earlier material, but with less rockabilly. It will be interesting to see what the album ends up sounding like. I personally hope that they keep on the same path of growth that they showed on the last album "State of Emergency." In the encore Nic Cester came out and sang "Long Tall Sally" with the band and the night finished with an energetic sing along of "West End Riot."

The Good Shepherd's Circus Pie Classic

You probably never thought that an "Iron Chef" inspired cooking contest mixed with rock music would be a good way to raise money for charity, but that's what happened tonight at the Corner Hotel. The beneficiaries were Good Shephard youth and family services. Ruth, Michelle, Belinda and I were treated to the mad culinary skills of Scott Owen and Andy Strachan from The Living End, Died Pretty’s Ron Peno, Ally Spazzy, Rebecca Barnard, Macromantics, Dan Kelly, Angie Hart, Lindsay MacDougall (Frenzal Rhomb), Candy Bowers (Sista She), Bob Log III, Link Meanie, Lisa Miller, PBS’s Kene Lightfoot, Paddy Donovan (The Age), RRR’s Holly C, Mia Dyson, and Dallas Crane front man Dave Larkin. The food was judged by Epicure’s John Lethlean, Mecca’s Cath Claringbold, and Andrew McConnell from Three One Two and we were given updates from the commentary panel of Helen Razer (774), Clem Bastow (The Age), and Melbourne Food & Wine Festival’s creative director Matt Preston.

There were two 30-minute heats with two teams competing each round, and then the winners took part in a 15-minute dessert challenge. The secret ingredients were mushrooms (heat 1), chicken (heat 2), and bananas (final heat). Some of the dishes were fantastic, others were shocking, but in the end the best (and my favorite) team prevailed: Rebecca Barnard, Ally Spazzy, Ron Peno, Scott Owen and Andy Strachan! We were lucky enough to get to taste test Andy's chicken dumplings from heat 2, and they were delicious. Best band of the night was Little Red- I was impressed with their gorgeous harmonies and songs. One reviewer called them "The Beach Boys meets The Strokes." I think they could become huge and I eagerly await the release of their debut EP.

Big Day Out

Yesterday was the Melbourne stop for Big Day Out. Big Day Out is an annual concert festival that travels the country, and was originally inspired by Lollapalooza. There is a mix of international and local acts on the bill and it's just one big day of music. I met up with Will and Helen along Sydney Road and we took the tram for a quick ride down to Princes Park South in North Carlton, where the show was happening this year. Thankfully the line moved quickly and we were inside around noon.

So many acts are scheduled on the eight stages throughout the day that you have to plan out who you want to see. Inevitably, there are conflicts and hard choices to make. There is no down time on the main stages because once one band finishes, the next band plays on the adjoining stage. This gives the crews time to set up for the next act. The main area on site was the Orange and Blue Stages. The other big place to see acts was the Green Stage and Converse Essential Stage, which were side by side under a tent.

We wandered around the grounds, caught a bit of Gerling's set on the Orange Stage, and then went to see Sarah Blasko on the Green Stage. Next was Cut Copy, who were very entertaining with their mix of pop and dance music. At 3:00 p.m. is was time for Wolfmother on the Blue Stage. Wolfmother are the Aussie band of the moment with their 70s inspired classic rock and extended jams. One of my favorite lines of the day was when lead singer Andrew Stockdale asked the crowd, "Are you ready to go to a new dimension?" They closed with their big hit "Mind's Eye" and if you are in the States, they are doing some shows in February, so go check them out. The next band we went to see was The Go! Team from the UK. They were another dance/pop band and had the crowd going at the Green Stage.

After taking a little break and eating some food, it was time to settle into place at the Blue and Orange Stages for the rest of the evening. We chose the Orange Stage side because the big screen allowed us to see what was going on much better. First big act of the evening was The Living End, and they rocked as usual. Chris played "Waltzing Matilda" on the guitar and the crowd sang along. Next up was Franz Ferdinand, who were excellent. Helen and I had a good dance to all their hits, and it was great to finally see them live. I love the whole look and attitude of the band, and their videos are never dull and have a great sense of humor to them.

Then is was time for Iggy and the Stooges. The Stooges are the godfathers of punk rock, having put out records in the late 60s and early 70s. Iggy Pop has been releasing solo albums since then, but the Stooges have reformed in the last couple years and have been touring. Their set was relentless and insane. Iggy is amazing to watch. Half way through the set he invited people to come up on stage from the crowd and sing and dance along. Iggy also went down to the barricades and almost surfed the crowd a couple of times. Henry Rollins was watching it all from side of stage and loving every minute.

The final act of the night was The White Stripes, another band I love that I had never seen live before. It was a ripping set of songs taken from the last few albums, as well as their cover of "Jolene." Jack White was amazing to watch as he went from guitar to piano and sung into the multiple microphones placed around the stage. Meg White even sang a couple of songs too, which was great. There's a definite intensity watching the two of them perform together as they communicate with each other through the music. Jack is also such a fantastic musician. I love that their crew is required to dress in suits and hats- it's a well dressed entourage.

After The White Stripes finished Helen and I headed over to meet Will, who was dancing to 2manydjs in the Boiler Room. We stayed outside because it was so hot in the tent. Helen ran into her brother, and around 11 p.m. we headed for home. Despite the sunburn, (and I did have on a lot of sunblock) it was a magical day of music and worth every penny.

DVD Screening

Tonight I was lucky enough to attend the screening of "How to Make an Album and Influence People," which documents the making of The Living End's new album "State of Emergency" (out February 4th). The screening took place in a small theater at the Victoria College of the Arts on St. Kilda Road. It was great to watch the process of how this album was made. JT, the director, followed the boys from pre-production and demos to the recording and mixing of the album with producer Nick Launay. Interspersed throughout the film were interviews with Chris (guitar/vocals), Scott (bass), and Andy (drums), and some live concert footage of them trying out songs before going into the studio. After the screening they held a Q&A session with JT, Andy, and Scott. I got to ask them a question about how their disappointment with the last album influenced their decision making going into recording the new album. It got a fairly thoughtful and insightful response from Scott and Andy, which was cool. After the Q&A the boys signed autographs and took pictures with fans. I had a brief chat with Andy, as I had met him before in San Francisco on the Aussie Invasion tour in 2004 (he even remembered me). He was kind of shocked when I told him that I'm living in Melbourne now. Unfortunately our chat was cut short since the guys had to leave. If you are interested in seeing the documentary, it will be released as a bonus DVD with the limited edition version of "State of Emergency."

Channel V Bus Show

This afternoon I headed down to Federation Square for the free Channel V Bus show. Channel V is a music station here in Australia (like MTV). Today's show featured Rogue Traders and my faves The Living End. There were about 5,000 people who turned up for the show in some very hot weather. I staked out a spot near the side of the sound board along a railing. It was a good spot because I avoided all the overexcited teens and had a view of the big screen above the stage. VJs Andrew G and Sumi did interviews and crowd segments between videos and the bands playing. They did their best to keep the crowd calm and safe.

Rogue Traders played four songs and had to deal with some boos from the crowd (not deserved at all). Once The Living End came out the place went nuts. Security was a bit slack because several people made it up onto the stage- guitar tech Matty was having to tackle some of them. It was a rocking 45 minute set, so if you have Channel V, check out the repeats over the next few days.

Homebake

Today was the Homebake Festival at the Domain in Sydney. After a night of thunderstorms, thankfully the weather held today. It was warm with periodic cloud cover, which provided some time out of the sun. The show was sold out (20,000 tickets) and the lines to get in were huge when the gates opened at 11:00 am. Once I entered I had a wander around the grounds. Along with the stages there were merchandise and food tents scattered about. The food was pretty good considering it was a festival show, and not overpriced.

As you can see from the timetable, there were four stages going at the same time. I spent most of the afternoon at the Dome Stage and caught sets by Expatriate, Architecture in Helsinki, The Go Betweens, and Sarah Blasko. I then headed toward the Main Stage for the end of Wolfmother's set, and stayed there for the rest of the evening. I got a nice spot by the sound board along a front barricade, so I could lean against something as well as watch the big screen. Ben Lee was his usual optimistic self and threw flowers to the crowd when he came out. The Living End rocked and the place went nuts, which wasn't that surprising considering how drunk a lot of people were. I got to hear a couple more new songs from their upcoming album, which was cool. The evening ended with the Finn Brothers, and I made my way up to the front of the stage to get as close as I could. Their set was pretty similar to what they did at The Enmore Theatre on Thursday night. The crowd sang along to the Crowded House and Split Enz numbers, but didn't seem to know the latest material. They played for an hour and a half and then the show ended at 11 p.m. because of curfew. It was an amazing day of music, and I was exhausted by the time I got back to my hotel.

"The Long Necks"

Tonight I went to see "The Long Necks" aka The Living End at the Corner Hotel. This concert was part of the Corner Hotel's 10th anniversary celebrations under the current ownership. The boys played for an hour and a half, and the set list was a mix of old material and five new songs off the upcoming album, which is due out early next year. My favorite of the new ones was "Nothing Lasts Forever." As always, The Living End rocked- they are one of the best live bands out there. If you want to check out the latest single and video for "What's On Your Radio," click here. I can't wait to see them again this Saturday at Homebake in Sydney. Yes, I am heading up to Sydney for a few days. Should be a fun trip.