Review by Billy Geary
Let’s start this off by stating the obvious, The Living End are one of Australia’s most loved rock bands. They’ve played at nearly every rock festival this country has offered over the past ten years, sold god knows how many albums and are revered all over the place. However, it is the live environment in which they truly excel. The three Melbourne lads have won stacks of awards for being an outstanding live band over the years, which ultimately cemented them as Australian rock royalty.

Then, as we come to December 2012, The Living End are embarking on their biggest tour yet, playing each of their albums in full one at a time across the country. On Tuesday night, the tour started off in their hometown of Melbourne, playing their phenomenal self-titled debut from start to finish. It was the first of 11 gigs at The Corner Hotel over the space of about two weeks and if it was anything to go by, each night was going to be treated to something special no matter which album was being played.

Opening the night were seminal local punk band The Meanies, who tore through their set with plenty of energy. Their set was a great way to fire up the quickly filling band room. Under the moniker DJ Cosmic Dolphin, Johnny Mackay of Children Collide then provided some excellent backing music to a short collection of footage showing The Living End’s career to date and thanking fans for their support over the years.

Then, almost straight away, The Living End appeared on stage and wasted no time in belting out their iconic single ‘Prisoner of Society.’ The rebellious anthem quickly had punters in a frenzy, which continued for much of the band’s hour set. ‘Growing Up (Falling Down)’ and ‘Second Solution’ quickly followed, transporting those in attendance back to the glorious year of 1998. The latter in particular saw the crowd drown out Cheney’s vocals for the entirety of the song.

There are a number of stories shared by the band throughout the night, ranging from Fish and Chip shops to video shoots. They showed a band that was truly appreciative and thankful for how far they’ve come over the years, whilst the crowd clearly loved a set filled to the brim with nostalgia. During ‘Trapped,’ Area 7’s horn section joined the band on the stage as they did when the album was recorded, turning the stage into one giant party. Scott Owen was up to all his usual tricks with his upright bass, still managing to amaze with how he manages to pull it all off whilst playing as tightly as he does.

Surprisingly, ‘Have They Forgotten?’ garnered a bigger reception than ‘Prisoner of Society’ as the trio red off the energy of the hot and sweaty crowd. Band and punters alike were well and truly in party mode as they reached the conclusion of the album. Despite the fact that The Living End’s debut is 14 years old now, Tuesday night showed that it is every bit as relevant, especially in live form. Not only did The Living End remind us how good they are live, but also just how fun music was in the 90s. One things for sure, the rest of the album shows are going to be every bit as fun.

Photos! The Living End at Corner Hotel, Melbourne with The Meanies – 11 December 2012

Review by Billy Geary
Photo credit: Naomi Rahim