The Living End

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For other uses of the term, see The Living End (disambiguation).

The Living End

The Living End are an Australian punkabilly band, based in Melbourne, Victoria. To date, they have released four studio albums in Australia, with two going to the number 1 position on the ARIA charts. They have also gained notable success in the United States and Europe. The band recently won awards for Best Drummer, Best Male Performer, Best Live TV Appearance and Best Band, in the 2006 Jack Awards. They were nominated for 3 Awards at 2007's Jack Awards, being Best Bass Guitarist (Scott Owen) and Best Drummer (Andy Strachan), with Chris Cheney winning for Best Lead Guitarist.

History

Beginnings

The Living End PEN15 formed in 1994 after Chris Cheney met Scott Owen. The two boys were first introduced to each other by their older sisters at Wheelers Hill Secondary College in Melbourne. Cheney was obsessed with 80's rockabilly group the The Stray Cats. Owen decided to learn the upright-bass in favour of the piano, he purchased the bass with the only $1500 in his bank account, which was meant to go toward a first car. They formed a cover band under the name "Runaway Boys" in 1992; named after the title of a Stray Cats album.

However, by 1994 Chris and Scott were writing their own material. The group went through a procession of drummers before settling on Joe Piripitzi that same year originally as the Runaway Boys, forming The Living End. Cheney considered Joe an ideal drummer due to his charismatic appearance[citation needed].

The Living End got their first big break in 1995 when, after sending a t-shirt and a demo tape to Billie Joe Armstrong, they landed a support slot in Green Day's upcoming Australian tour. After the tour, the group went into the studio to record their debut EP Hellbound which received moderate support from community radio stations.

In November 1995, the band went back into the studio to record their second EP It's For Your Own Good which they released several months later. This recording yielded their first major radio airplay with the song "From Here On In", which was placed on high rotation on the youth radio network Triple J. Shortly after the release of the second EP, drummer Joe Piripitzi was fired as his lifestyle choices were said to be holding back the band[citation needed], being replaced with Travis Demsey. Demsey was soon playing with the band at major festivals such as Pushover and the Falls Festival, and was considered to drum very much in the style of Keith Moon.

After a year touring Australia, The Living End again headed into the studio to record something new to sell at their live shows. The result was the Second Solution/Prisoner of Society double single.

Breakout

Second Solution/Prisoner of Society quickly became a national hit, the double A-side becoming the highest selling Australian single of the 1990s, peaking for several weeks at No.4 and receiving the 1998 ARIA Award for Highest Selling Single. It lasted a record-breaking 47 weeks on the ARIA Top 50 singles charts.

The band signed on to Modular Recordings for the release of their debut self titled album. The album was an instant hit with Australian audiences. The Living End became the second- (now third-) highest-selling debut rock album in Australian music history after (now 5 times platinum), and charted at #1. During this period 6 singles were released including the previously stated double A-side, and in addition "Tainted Love", a live cover, was released as a radio-only single on Triple J. The Living End's breakout was the most successful part of their career so far.

The Living End were awarded two more ARIA awards in 1999 for Best Group, and Best New Artist.

Roll On

The Roll On album in 2000 was a more creative work, but did not manage to achieve the status of their earlier album. Cheney later stated that he was trying to prove to critics that The Living End were not a band simply defined by their hit "Prisoner of Society", and the album showed this by displaying other influences, as well as their traditional fast-paced rockabilly music. The album even garnered comparison, by a few critics, to seminal punk band The Clash's creative breakthrough, London Calling [citation needed]. Much of the style was comparable to 80's hard rock and pub rock, as well as many tracks being obscure mixes of many ideas, resulting in 'procrastinating' structures. This defined the albums creativity.

During this period, relative success was achieved in addition in the USA, with the band receiving America-wide coverage by playing on both Conan O'Brian and David Letterman's major late-night variety shows.

However, singles and success for Roll On was limited due to a twist of fate. In 2001, the band hit a quiet period due to Chris Cheney's car accident on the Great Ocean Road, rendering him unable to play for a significant period of time. He had been on the road to the house of a member of fellow Australian band Bodyjar.

The Longnecks

In 2002, Travis Demsey left the band shortly after Chris's recovery, so he could spend more time with his family, supported by a developed dislike of heavy touring[citation needed]. However, the dilemma was overcome when Andy Strachan was accepted as the new drummer. The Longnecks were formed to test out Andy Strachan and new material to be on the MODERN ARTillery album, without attracting too much public attention. Travis Demsey now plays drums in a Punk / Folk Rock band called 'The Currency'.

MODERN ARTillery

At this time the band made a comeback, releasing "One Said to the Other" in late 2002 (originally released as an EP then later re-recorded for the album) and "Who's Gonna Save Us?" in 2003, and getting air play once again. This was followed by heavy touring (including Big Day Out) and the release of MODERN ARTillery.

The MODERN ARTillery album in 2003 was a return to musical simplicity in most tracks (the rock anthem "The Room" being an exception), but was certainly of a different style to the hard rock and punkabilly of the self-titled album, and the jazzy punkabilly of Hellbound and It's For Your Own Good. Instead, punk pop, computer-generated sounds, country music, and 60's style rock'n'roll had their share on MODERN ARTillery, among other styles.

From Here On In

In late 2004, the band released a singles collection as well as a DVD, which included all video clips and a "supergig", collections of the band's most famous songs performed in Australia at Splendour In The Grass and Big Day Out in Sydney, and Summersonic festival in Japan. The DVD also featured the band's history - documented in interviews and home footage. The CD featured two new tracks: I Cant Give You What I Haven't Got and Bringing It All Back Home. Some editions were released with the bonus 'Under The Covers' disc, which featured 6 covers from various parts of their career.

Chris performed at the 2004 ARIA awards as part of the group The Wrights, featuring members of many other Australian bands. Chris Cheney and Scott Owen won the Best Guitarist and Best Bassist awards for 2004 and 2005, in the Jack Awards.

State of Emergency

The Living End's fourth album, titled State of Emergency, was recorded in Byron Bay after they played in the Splendour in the Grass festival. The recording and the artwork was completed in mid December 2005, and the album was released on 4 February 2006, debuting at #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The Living End again played gigs under the name The Longnecks prior to recording the album, to test out new material.

The album's tracks are even simpler then MODERN ARTillery's tracks, but with a more raw sound, so as to assimilate even further with the early releases and the self-titled album; also being aware that they sound best live and raw. Nevertheless, the new styles and other styles experienced in MODERN ARTillery remain in State of Emergency to an extent; arguably most dominantly punk pop, rockabilly now being a less met blend of The Living End's punkabilly style.

The single "What's on Your Radio?" was released on 20 November 2005, and debuted at #9 on the ARIA singles chart. The second single, "Wake Up" was released on 19 February and went straight to number #5. The third single from the album "Long Live the Weekend" was released 20 May, but did not enter the top 20, whilst the other two singles had entered the top 10. The fourth single, "Nothing Lasts Forever" was released in Australia on 19 August and was also unsuccessful, considered by many fans to be a bad choice for a single. Nevertheless, State of Emergency continues to hold onto its position as a generally very successful album, enhanced by the great success of the first two singles. The album was also nominated for the 2006 J Award.

The album was released in the United States through Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's Adeline Records along with Eastwest Records on 11 July 2006. Further releases in support of the album was the DVD The Living End: Live At Festival Hall on 30 September, which captured a Melbourne performance of the State of Emergency Tour, featuring many songs from the album, and many classics.

In 2006 the band took out 4 Jack Award; Best Live Band, Best Live TV Performance, Best Performer (Chris) and Best Drummer (Andy). This means that The Living End has being awarded the most Jack Awards each year and overall so far.

During the 2006 State Of Emergency tour, the Living End's show in Milwaukee, WI, was cancelled, so it was rescheduled on December 2nd as a supporting act for the Blink 182 spinoff band, +44.

2007 has seen The Living End slow down touring and restart recording. The band have released as a radio-only single the Cold Chisel cover "Rising Sun", which is currently available on a Cold Chisel tribute album, and after The Great Escape in May, plan to start work on their 5th official studio album, though they will tour the UK in August, releasing State of Emergency there on August 13 through Deck Cheese Records.

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Year Title ARIA Charts UK Singles Chart Triple J Hottest 100 Album
1996 "From Here On In" -radio release - - 49 (1997) It's For Your Own Good
1997 "Prisoner Of Society" - 4 (1998) 15 The Living End
1997 "Second Solution/Prisoner of Society"
(double A-side) 		4 - 15 (1998) The Living End
1998 "Tainted Love (Live)" -radio release - - 17 The Living End
1998 "Save The Day" 22 - 10 The Living End
1999 "All Torn Down" 12 - 41 The Living End
1999 "Trapped" - - - The Living End
1999 "West End Riot" - - 48 The Living End
2000 "Pictures In The Mirror" 18 - 19 Roll On
2000 "Roll On" 15 - 72 Roll On
2001 "Dirty Man" - - - Roll On
2001 "Carry Me Home"- radio release - - - Roll On
2002 "One Said To The Other" 19 - 52 MODERN ARTillery
2002 "What Would You Do?" -web/radio release - - - MODERN ARTillery
2003 "Who's Gonna Save Us?" 37 - 23 MODERN ARTillery
2003 "Tabloid Magazine" 56 - 66 MODERN ARTillery
2004 "End Of The World" -radio release - - - MODERN ARTillery
2004 "I Can't Give You What I Haven't Got" -radio release - - 47 From Here On In
2005 "What's On Your Radio?" 9 - 49 State of Emergency
2006 "Wake Up" 5 - 53 State Of Emergency
2006 "Long Live The Weekend" 23 - - State Of Emergency
2006 "Nothing Lasts Forever" 39 - - State Of Emergency
2007 "Rising Sun" -radio release - - - Standing On The Outside (The Songs Of Cold Chisel)


See a full list of The Living End's songs here

DVDs and videos

Music videos

  • "Prisoner of Society" 1997 (Aus)
  • "Second Solution" 1997
  • "Save the Day" 1998
  • "Prisoner of Society" 1998 (USA)
  • "All Torn Down" 1998
  • "West End Riot" 1998
  • "Pictures In the Mirror" 2000
  • "Roll On" 2000 (2 videos made for this single)
  • "Dirty Man" 2001
  • "One Said to the Other" 2002
  • "Who's Gonna Save Us?" 2003 (2 videos made for this single)
  • "Tabloid Magazine" 2004
  • "I Can't Give You What I Haven't Got" 2004
  • "What's On Your Radio?" 2005
  • "Wake Up" 2006
  • "Long Live the Weekend" 2006
  • "Nothing Lasts Forever" 2006
  • "Rising Sun" 2007

Band members

Current members

Past members

Other contributors on Living End records

Horn sections

  • On The Living End
    • Alistair Shepherd (from Area-7) - saxophone
    • Tody Dargaville (from Area-7) - trumpet
  • On Roll On
    • Jack Howard - trumpet
    • Aidan McArtney - trombone
    • Jeremy Smith - french horn
    • Butch Lee - percussion
  • On State of Emergency
    • Justine Jones
    • Jack Howard
    • Jeremy Smith
    • Michael Waters

Backing vocalists

Collaborations

The Living End have made recordings with many popular bands and artists. In 1998, just as they were gaining popularity in Australia, they performed at "Tour Of Duty" for the peace keepers in PNG. At this, their first live concert to Australian's, they performed two tracks from what was their up coming album, as well as performing with Angel's Front man Doc Neeson and Australian Pop Princess Kylie Minogue. In December 1998, supporting the German band Die Toten Hosen they played a cover of "Merry Christmas" with them. In 2005, the band recorded a version of Ashton, Gardner and Dyke's "Resurrection Shuffle" with Jimmy Barnes on his duet album Double Happiness. The Living End also appeared on Australian country and western music artist Kasey Chambers' album Barricades & Brickwalls, contributing the music and backing vocals to "Crossfire". Lead singer and guitarist Chris Cheney was also a member of the "super group" The Wrights who released covers of Stevie Wright's songs, "Evie parts 1, 2 & 3" after performing "Evie part 1" at the 2004 Australian Music Industry's ARIA Music Awards. Cheney also played guitar and contributed backing vocals to "Private School Kid" on Sarah McLeod's (formerly of The Superjesus) debut solo album. Mr Cheney appeared as a guitarist on Stephen Cummings' Firecracker album, and if you take a look at Jet's DVD, 'Right Right Right', you'll notice him doing a number with those guys - 'That's Alright Mamma'. Chris Cheney also played "I Fought the Law" with Green Day at their Melbourne Concert on 17 December 2005.

Trivia

  • The name of the band was taken from the movie Rock Around the Clock.
  • The Living End hold the record for the most consecutive entries in Triple J's Hottest 100. The band have made the chart every year since 1997.
  • At the time of its release, The Living End was the highest-selling debut rock album in Australian music history, now 5 times platinum.
  • Chris Cheney appeared with label mates Green Day in Melbourne on 17 December 2005 at the Telstra Dome performing Bobby Fuller's hit "I Fought the Law" (although the re-worked version by The Clash was played).
  • The Living End have also appeared on Jimmy Barnes's album Double Happiness. They played the old rock n roll classic "Resurrection Shuffle", which featured Jimmy Barnes on vocals.
  • Bassist Scott Owen appeared on Australian legend Paul Kelly's Foggy Highway album, playing bass on "Song of the Old Rake". Scott also appeared in the film clip for the track.
  • Chris Cheney has also appeared on stage with Jet in Melbourne as well as appearing on the band's Right! Right! Right! DVD, playing guitar on "That's Alright Mama". Cheney has also performed alongside Australian rock veterans You Am I at the 2003 Big Day Out in Melbourne, Australia. They performed a track from The Clash as a tribute to Joe Strummer. He has also performed as a member of The Wrights.
  • The Living End performed along side Normie Rowe performing two of Normie's hits "Que Sera Sera" and "Shakin' All Over" at an awards ceremony.
  • The band has also performed on Rove Live 5 times, more than any other Australian band.
  • The Living End have won 8 gongs at the Jack Awards (for Australian live music) since the first ceremony in 2004. This is more than any other artist as a whole and individually for 2006 and 2005 (2005 was actually a tie with Grinspoon on 2 awards). Of these, two awards were Best Guitarist (Chris Cheney), one award was best live male performer (Chris Cheney), two awards were Best Bassist (Scott Owen), one award was Best Drummer (Andy Strachan), one award was Best Live Band, and one award was Best Live Performance (on channel V).
  • "Second Solution"/"Prisoner of Society" was the highest selling Australian single of the 1990s, as well as the most weeks charted (47) on the ARIA singles charts of any release, Australian or international, since the charts' inception in 1988.
  • "End Of The World" from MODERN ARTillery was used on the video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2.
  • "Carry Me Home" from Roll On, one of the band's speedier and more guitar-intense tracks, appears in the video game Guitar Hero II, developed by Harmonix.
  • "West End Riot" appears on the World Of Outlaws Sprintcar game on the PS2
  • Gretsch Guitars are currently working with Chris Cheney on a "Chris Cheney" Signature Guitar

"What's On Your Radio?" from State of Emergency was interestingly enough (due to the language, it surprised many) featured on the 2006 Bionicle: Free the Band website, as well as songs from Over It, Carbon Leaf, Big City Rock, and a few others.

External links

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