5) THE LIVING END
Aussie bands, they’re such a mixed bag. From Crowded House, ACDC, and INXS to Men and Work and Soap stars, they range from inspiring, intelligent and riotous to novelty acts or prospective panto stars. So thank heavens for the new invaders - The Vines and Jet, both trading on their influences of Nirvana and ACDC respectively. Not the greatest bands by any means, but enough to keep the flag flying.
Spare a thought then for the Living End. Formed in 1994 by Chris Cheney and Scott Owen, they honed their performances playing weddings, before embarking on first album in 1997/1998. When they debuted, they were the embodiment of rock and roll. Not the excessive stylings that the Gallagher brothers would have you believe, but the 50 Bill Haley Gretsch playing ‘jump and jive’ rock and roll that’s all the more infectious.
In late 2001, Tragedy struck the band. Chief-songwriter and resident guitar-god Chris Cheney suffered all almost fatal car crash that left him in hospital for months of recuperation. In the meantime, long-serving maniacal drummer Travis Dempsey quit. Refreshed Owen and Cheney recruited Melbourne drummer Andy Strachan and went about recording Album No. 3. Inspired by 9/11 and Cheney’s own solitude, the Living End returned in 03/04 with MODERN ARTillery - for my money on a par with Green Day’s much lauded American Idiot. Considering the subsequent accolades that have befallen Billie Joe Armstrong and co., you have to wonder whether more exposure of ‘Artillery’ (as it’s come to be known) would have led the antipodean trio to be adored in a similar stature.
Produced by Blink 182 and Jimmy Eat World producer Mark Trembino, this release had more of melodic, layered feel, but wasn’t any less compromising. Tracks like Who’s gonna save us? - continued the trend of this Pavlovian desire to shout the chorus when you’re pissed up, despite having the overtones of 9/11 - it was used on the soundtrack to Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. Then there’s Jimmy; a protest song about rising up against adversity and popularity - having your say. Musically Cheney had stated it was influenced by the Police. The End of the World retains the frenetic, pulsating rockabilly that was more prevalent in the previous albums, and deals with a dream of an apocalypse becoming a reality. The pertinence of the subject matter has always been a foundation of Cheney’s song-writing; back in 1998 he felt compelled to write about the Dunblane Massacre - the subsequently penned ‘Monday’ laden with Setzer-esque qualities and a ferociously belted chorus line.
Hold up is punchy, brutal, unabashed two and half minute vent about carrying out a bank robbery. Tabloid Magazine is a million miles better than Stereophonics’ Mr. Writer, in it’s attack on superficial journalism, and it’s musicality. Short Notice is a sub-two minutes punk annihilation of relationships - where you say one thing and mean another; how mixed messages can lead to an abrupt end of relationships. Yet from all this, they remain virtually unheard of on mainstream music TV. By the time the fourth album comes out towards the end of this year/next year, that hopefully will be rectified, which Cheney promises ‘will kick ARTillery’s arse’. A bold statement, and I hope he’s right. In the meantime, if you want to really rock your socks off, you could do not much better than check out the living end.
Craig Aston.
Related Link: The Living End's official site: http://www.thelivingend.com.au/
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