australian band

8/6/2019 Australian Band

1/13

This article is about the Australian band. For other uses, see The Living End (disambiguation).

The Living End

Left to right: Chris Cheney, Andy Strachan, Scott Owen (Leipzig, Germany 19.11.2009)

The Living End are an Australian rock band from Melbourne, Victoria,

formed in 1994. The current lineup consists of Chris Cheney (vocals,

guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals) and Andy Strachan (drums).

The band rose to fame in the late 1990s after the release of their

double A-side single, Second Solution / Prisoner of Society.

They have released five studio albums and one singles compilation inAustralia; three of which have reached the #1 spot on the Australian

Albums Chart. They have also gained notable success in the United

States and Europe. The band are annually adding to their collection of

Jack Awards, consistently winning awards for Best Drummer, Best

Male Performer, and Best Band.


2/13

Contents

[hide]

y 1 Historyo 1.1 Beginnings (19941996)o 1.2 Breakout (19971998)o 1.3 The Living End (19981999)o 1.4 Roll On (20002001)o 1.5 The Longnecks (2002)o 1.6 Modern ARTillery (20022004)o 1.7 From Here on In (20042005)o 1.8 State of Emergency (20052007)o 1.9 White Noise (20082009)o 1.10 The Ending Is Just the Beginning Repeating (2010present)

y 2 Musical style and influencesy 3 Collaborationsy 4 Members

o 4.1 Currento 4.2 Former

y 5 Discographyo 5.1 Studio albums

y 6 Awards and nominationso 6.1 APRA Awards

y 7 Video gamesy 8 Referencesy 9 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Beginnings (19941996)

The Living End were formed in 1994 by Chris Cheney and Scott Owen,

who met through their older sisters while attending Wheelers Hill

Secondary College in Melbourne. Cheney was a big fan of rockabilly

group Stray Cats and this prompted Scott Owen, who originally played


3/13

piano, to switch to double bass. He was taught by Maddie O'Reiden, a

classical upright bass tutor. The pair formed a cover band, Runaway

Boys, named after a song from the Stray Cats' debut album.[3]The band

played in Melbourne's rockabilly music scene. While Cheney and Owen

persevered, the band went through several drummers while still inschool.[4]

However, by 1994 Chris and Scott were writing their own material and

they decided to change their name to The Living End, a reference to

the film Rock Around the Clock.[5]The group went through a

procession of drummers, including Alex Sarris, before settling on Joe

Piripitzi. Sarris played for several months, but was unable to remain in

the band, as a result of irreconsilible creative differences with

frontman Cheney. However, Cheney considered Joe an ideal drummer

because of his charismatic appearance.[3]

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,[3] 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 A-side single.

[edit] Breakout (19971998)


4/13

Second Solution / Prisoner of Society quickly became a national hit,

with the double A-side becoming the highest selling Australian single

of the 1990s and 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. It was later featured inthe game Guitar Hero World Tour.

[edit] The Living End (19981999)

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. It charted at #1,

and is now 5x Platinum. During this period six 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 were awarded two more ARIA awards in 1999 for Best

Group, and Best New Artist.

[edit] Roll On (20002001)

The Roll On album in 2000 was a more creative work, but it did not

manage to achieve the status of their earlier album. Despite this, many

fan's consider Roll On to be as strong as the Self Titled album, The

Living End. 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.[6]Much of the

style was comparable to 1980s hard rock and pub rock, as well as

many tracks being obscure mixes of many ideas, resulting in'procrastinating' structures. This defined the album's creativity.

During this period, relative success was achieved in addition in the

US, with the band receiving America-wide coverage by playing on both

Conan O'Brien and David Letterman's major late-night variety shows.


5/13

The album included "Carry me Home", which was included in the

Guitar Hero II soundtrack.

However, singles and success for Roll On was limited because of a

twist of fate. In 2001, the band hit a quiet period after Chris Cheney

was in a 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.

[edit] The Longnecks (2002)

In early 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.[7] 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. The name is a reference to 'Longneck' beer

bottles, as can be heard on the band's Podcast on iTunes. Travis

Demsey now plays drums in a punk/folk rock band called 'The

Currency'. The Longnecks name has since been used by the band to

try out potentially new album material for both State of Emergency

and the band's fifth album, White Noise.

The band has also played under many different names such as Glen

Waverley & The Mentones, The Dovetones, Roller Toasters, Doncaster

& The Dandenongs and Redwings at various venues in regional

Victoria.

[edit] Modern ARTillery (20022004)

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-recordedfor 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


6/13

was certainly of a different style to the 'punkabilly' of the self-titled

album, and the jazzy rockabilly of Hellbound and It's For Your Own

Good. Instead, punk pop, computer-generated sounds, country music,

and 1960s style rock'n'roll had their share on Modern ARTillery, among

other styles.

Because of the quiet period, their return was initially received with

much hype compared to Roll On, with "One Said To the Other"

becoming a top 20 hit, the album debuting at #3, and the promotion of

three singles and one radio release. However, the long run saw their

stylistic change to be less popular, with overall sales of albums and

singles being comparatively less than that of the self-titled album and

Roll On.

[edit] From Here on In (20042005)

In late 2004, the band released a singles collection, From Here on In,

as well as a DVD, which included a collection of their music video

clips and a "supergig" of the band's most famous songs performed in

Australia at Splendour In The Grass and Big Day Out in Sydney, and

from 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 Can't Give You What I Haven't Got" and "Bringing It

All Back Home". Some editions were released with the bonus 'Under

The Covers' CD, which featured six covers from various parts of their

career.

[edit] State of Emergency (20052007)


7/13

Scott Owen during The Living End's 2007 UK tour.

The Living End's fourth album, titled State of Emergency, was

recorded in Byron Bay with Nick Launay,[8] following the band's

appearance at 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.[9]The Living End again played gigs under the name The

Longnecks before recording the album, to test out new material.

The album's tracks are even simpler than 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 a

small extent; arguably most dominantly pop punk, 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


8/13

Forever", was released in Australia on 19 August and was not as

successful as the first two. 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 and Canada on 18 July 2006. Further releases

in support of the album was the DVD 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 4 Jack Awards; 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 was cancelled, so it was rescheduled on 2 December as a

supporting act for +44.

On 6 October, Chris Cheney left the band because he felt enormouslyburnt out, and was sick of the constant touring, as well as

experiencing writers block. Chris felt that his life was going nowhere

and that he needed to get away from the band, and gain experience in

other areas of life. This information was kept confidential until 2008.[10]

2007 saw Chris Cheney isolated from his band mates trying to write

the follow up to "State of Emergency". He was disappointed with the

results so he took up yoga, spent time painting and being around his

baby daughter whilst taking a break from music for the first time in 10years. During this period the band released a radio-only single, the

Cold Chisel cover "Rising Sun", available on the Standing on the

Outside Cold Chisel tribute album. After Chris was convinced not to

leave the band they played The Great Escape in May and re-started

work on their fifth studio album, though they toured the UK in August,


9/13

releasing State of Emergency there on 13 August through Deck Cheese

Records.

[edit] White Noise (20082009)

Two new songs were debuted at the EG Awards in Melbourne, "Raise

the Alarm" and "How Do We Know". These tracks were well received

by the audience who witnessed the performance, although a few days

after the performance Chris Cheney sent an email to everyone in The

Living End mailing list talking about the EG Awards show and

expressing how far away these new tracks are from being recorded.

He also stated that they were only a week or so old. The band

announced a short tour under their pre-release alias The Longnecks to

try out new songs before they went into the studio. The new material

played during these gigs are said by Cheney to be the most exciting of

their career, saying "there is a heaviness and depth to the new stuff

that we simply haven't had before".

The first track released from the album was the title track, "White

Noise". The song, "How Do We Know", was simultaneously released as

a radio-only track on Triple J, but was also heard on such radio

stations as Nova 969. These two complimenting tracks came together

to form the first single from the album. The White Noise/How Do We

Know? double A-side single was released both physically and digitally

on 5 July 2008.

The Living End released their fifth studio album, White Noise, on 19

July 2008. Recording of the album took place at Water Music Studios

in Hoboken, New Jersey, on the week beginning 31 March. The

producer was John Agnello, whom Cheney felt "[could] capture the

energy and attack we are after". Brendan O'Brien mixed the record at

Silent Sound Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

The White Noise album had almost a year and a half of solid writing

behind it, with the end result revealing "more of a hard rock

influence."[11] The band self proclaimed the album as "the best thing

we've ever done."[11]


10/13

The band launched the album on 19 July 2008, with an in-store

appearance at the Virgin Megastore in Sydney. The band spent almost

2 hours signing copies of the album for fans. In support of the album,

the band made many television appearances in Australia, including

their performance on 5 October at the 2008 NRL Grand Final at ANZStadium. White Noise was awarded the ARIA for Best Rock Album of

2008,[12]over such competition as Gyroscope and Faker.

On 25 September 2008, "Moment in the Sun" was released to

Australian radio as the second single[13] from White Noise. It was

physically and digitally released on 25 October 2008.[13]

On 22 December 2008, "Raise the Alarm" was released to Australian

radio as the third single from White Noise. A music video has been

released containing footage of live performances during the white

noise tour and some others.

In February 2009, the band made a secret appearance in Melbourne

supporting the Stray Cats on their Farewell Tour.

On 27 February 2009, tickets were released for the Raise the Alarm

Tour which happened in May.

[edit] The Ending Is Just the Beginning Repeating (2010present)

During September and October 2010, The Living End performed a few

secret shows under the alias "Safety Matches", testing new material,

much like what they did under The Longnecks. The main songs they

played were "United", "Universe", "Black and White", "The Ending Is

Just the Beginning Repeating", "Resist" and "Heatwave".

In the January edition of The Living End's News, Chris says, "Havingspent all of 2010 writing album 6 we have amassed something in the

vicinity of 40+ songs to choose from... There are some really different

ideas kicking around this time but the emphasis has been on creating

a cohesive album that is heavy, melodic and overall very anthemic."


11/13

The Living End's new single "The Ending is Just the Beginning

Repeating", also the new album's name, was premiered in early June

2011 on radio stations across the country, and can be heard at

thelivingend.com. The album will be released on 22 July 2011.[14]

[edit] Musical style and influences

The Living End consider themselves to be a rock 'n' roll band based on

punk ethics, citing the Clash, Iggy Pop, The Who and The Jam as

influences and bands with whom they share the same ideals, making a

social commentary on what's going on around them.[15] They have also

been compared favorably to 1990s punk revivalists Rancid.[16]

However, the band do not consider themselves a punk band, more a

rock 'n' roll band who are influenced by punk.[17]

Chris Cheney regards 1950s rock 'n' roll as his greatest influence and

first musical love which, along with 1980s rockabilly revival band Stray

Cats, the band's sound was based on.[18] They also regard Australian

pub rock as an important influence on the band, something the

members grew up with and appreciated. Other rockabilly influences

include Reverend Horton Heat and Eddie Cochran.[19]

Scott Owen has said that his favorite bands include Stray Cats,

Reverend Horton Heat, Midnight Oil, The Clash, The Jam, Green Day,

Sublime, Bodyjar, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Rancid, The Beatles and

Supergrass. He regards Lee Rocker of Stray Cats as the main musical

influence of his, mimicking his right hand movements on the upright

bass when he first learnt how to play. [20]

Amongst other bands, ex-Sum 41 guitarist Dave Baksh has suggested

that it would be great if he could tour with The Living End, saying that

they're all "really good musicians".[21]

[edit] Collaborations

The Living End have made recordings with many popular bands and

artists.


12/13

In 1998, just as they were gaining popularity in Australia, they

performed at "Tour of Duty" for the peace keepers in East Timor. At

this, their first live concert to Australians, they performed two tracks

from what was their up coming album, as well as performing with The

Angels' frontman Doc Neeson and "Jingle Bell Rock" with Australianpop singer Kylie Minogue.

In December 1998, supporting the German band Die Toten Hosen they

played a cover of Slade's "Merry Christmas" with them on 26

December 1998 in Dsseldorf, as part of Die Toten Hosen's 1998

Christmas tour of Germany. The two bands met on the 1998 inaugural

Warped Tour of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Hawaii.

In early 2001 The Living End performed as the support act for AC/DC

during the Australian leg of their Stiff Upper Lip world tour.

The Living End performed alongside Normie Rowe performing two of

Normie's hits "Que Sera Sera" and "Shakin' All Over" at the 2005 ARIA

Hall of Fame.

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 soloalbum.

Cheney appeared as a guest guitarist on Stephen Cummings

Firecracker album.


13/13

On Australian band Jet's live DVD, Right Right Right, Chris Cheney

appears at the end of the recorded concert to feature on a cover of

Elvis Presley's "That's Alright Mamma".

Chris Cheney also played "I Fought the Law" with Green Day at their

Melbourne concert on 17 December 2005.

Double 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

australian band

Documents