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This Is The End

Author: Cameron Adams

Green Day have given Living End a ticket to ride, writes Cameron Adams

WHAT do you do when you have three tickets to a sold-out Green Day show? If you’re Melbourne trio the Living End, you give the tickets to your parents.

Despite queuing up for the tickets to see their favorite band as soon as they went on sale, the Living End suddenly had no need for them. Green Day had selected the band to support them around Australia on their recent tour.

“We sent a video and a T-shirt to their management in the States,” explains 19-year-old Living End frontman Chris Cheney. “Billie (Joe Armstrong. Green Day singer) said he liked it because we didn’t sound like NOFX; we were different.”

The sold-out Australian tour gave the Living End an instant profile. scoring not only the approval of thousands of Green Day fans but million-selling the punk rockers themselves.

“They approached us at the first sound check in Brisbane and introduced themselves,” says Cheney of Green Day. “They were really nice. They don’t understand why they’re so popular; they’re just doing what they’ve always done.”

The Living End began life as the Runaway Boys, a Stray Cats tribute band.

“It’s hard to start a band and start playing originals straightaway: everyone wants to hear covers, Cheney says. “The Stray Cats were a huge influence on us.”

While the Runaway Boys had a huge, diehard rockabilly following. Cheney says “as soon as we started putting in originals they (the diehards) started to drop off”.

Since going original they’ve battled against being pigeon-holed their striking image.

“We try not to put our- selves into that rockabilly genre.” Cheney says. “We’ve really pushed to attract different people to our shows. We’re influenced by so many styles of music and we’ve noticed that we appeal to a wide audience.”

Supports for local bands like the Fireballs and the Sharp – Cheney wrote a song with bassist Allan Catlin and recorded at his studio – have developed into stage-warming slots for Green Day, the Supersuckers and the upcoming tour by another Living End favorite, the Reverend Horton Heat. “Supports are good,” Cheney explains. “There’s not so much pressure. If it’s a bad night then it wasn’t our gig. If it’s a good night then we’ve won over a new crowd.”

The first Living End EP, Hellbound, an uncompromising mixture of punk pop and rockabilly, already is into its second pressing. Its success hasn’t gone unnoticed, with major record companies already starting to wooing them.

The Living End launch Hellbound on Friday, March 22, at the Evelyn with Incursion and H-Block. Hellbound is out now through Shock.

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Supersuckers, Fireballs, The Living End

Author: Darrell Bassett

Knew bugger all about the Living End until they came on but now I know they are one fine outfit. Kinda boogie, kinda punk, kinda something. Their cover of 10:15 Saturday Night gave a bit more of a perspective of these blokes, but not much – they’re right out of left field.

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Living In The Fast Lane

Author: Jason Cole

Three piece Melbourne rockers the Living End experienced a dream run of late, coming off a highly successful with those snotty nosed brats of rock, Green Day. On the horizon, the Living End is a confirmed support nationally for the Reverend Horton Heat touring later this year, plus a show with the Supersuckers. the band has also just released an eight track rockabilly punk treat with Hellbound. I had a chat with lead vocalist/guitarist Chris Cheney and drummer Joey Piripitzi about their experiences on the tour with Green Day, amongst other bits and pieces.

The Living End’s career has not been an overnight success. People seem to think that the band has just received a lucky break with the Green Day tour, but Chris told me this is hardly the case. 
“We have been playing together for about four and a half years and have definately paid our dues. We have done heaps of residencies at crappy bars playing shitty cover versions so it hasn’t be all luck.” Hardly the jump from relative obscurity to major venues as people thought. To describe the sound of the Living End isn’t an easy task, “We’re something of a mixed bag when it comes to our sound,” says Chris. The phrase that has been passed around the traps of late is ‘punkabilly’ a term the band isn’t too sure about, but which I think is pretty close to the mark. There is the sound fusion between fifties rockabilly and a definite punk influence.

Asking the guys about their influences I was provided with a vast array of styles. 
“We dig the fifties rockabilly style of Eddie Cochran, Stray Cats and of course the ‘Rev’ Horton Heat but get into earlier punk stuff like the Clash, Dead Kennedys and the likes of Green Day.” 
Now that’s an interesting mix. It’s no secret that the boys are huge fans off Green Day. They had already bought their tickets, they had sent a tape of their work to Green Day’s management hoping to score a support slot. As it worked out the Green Day lads liked Living End so much they got them on board! (I hope they got a refund on the tickets!) The tour took the bands across the whole of Australia playing to 9000 capacity at the Horden Pavillion – bit of change from the Tote, eh? 
“Yeah, it was a complete buzz, a real adrenalin rush to play those venues and see masses of people looking at you, it was freaky.”

How was the response from the crowd? 
“Unbelievable, they really got into us and were jumping all around and going off! We were a bit freaked out that the crowd would all be die-hard Green Day fans and wouldn’t give a shit about us but it was cool.”

And what were the Green Day fellas like? 
“Really cool guys who were just so down to earth, and easy going, we just hung out in bars after the shows and played pool and took part in some room smashing on the last date of the tour with the drummer Tre Cool.”

Now the boys of the Living End are back in Melbourne. They will be playing a few shows locally and are looking forward to the national tour with their idol, the Reverend Horton Heat which should be huge. The guys are chuffed to win these great support slots, partly due to the fact that they are now in the care of the Cheersquad touring group run by Wally Meanie who takes care of the likes of the Meanies, Snout, etc. The Living End also has a mini-CD out called Hellbound. Produced off the band’s own bat and on the strength of the Green Day tour, the CD also got them a distribution deal with Shock. Currently the CD is doing well and already they are being courted by major record companies. At present the band is just enjoying the ride and certainly looks destined for even bigger and better things in the future.