The Living End, King Cannons @ The Palace, Melbourne (08/09/2011)
The Living End are something of an establishment in Australian rock. Conquering the late nineties and early 2000’s, their last few albums have been met with mixed reaction from fans and critics alike.
With the release of The Ending Is Just The Beginning Repeating, a new age of The Living End has been born. Taking to the Palace to tour their new material (and the fabled classics), The Living End tore the roof off the Palace, Melbourne in a night that would blow away fans and only continue to establish their name as one of Australia’s greatest modern rock acts.
Melbourne’s dismal public transport system caused me to miss opening act Hunting Grounds, but as I walked into the Palace, King Cannons were taking to the stage. Quite a large group, King Cannons could only be best described as modern day tribute to The Clash, with hints of the Stray Cats thrown in for good measure. Over the next forty-five minutes, they converted the crowd into fans with their unique and striking brand of rock. Giving away free copies of the debut single Stand Right Up at the merch desk, I saw many crowd members head to the stand to secure their own copies. A brilliant band in their own right that deserve to be heard, you can be sure to hear King Cannons across the airwaves and selling out their own shows in the near future.
Admittedly, I didn’t enjoy The Ending Is Just The Beginning Repeating as much as I wanted to. I felt that it was missing something crucial to their heart and soul. When the band took to the stage, what I felt was lost was surely found as The Living End kicked off the night with In the Morning, Heatwave and Machine Gun (whose opening riff almost stole the show); the first three tracks from album #6. While the new material sounds better live, it still severely lacks the raw charm of the Roll On days. At this point I was worried we’d be hearing a focus on the new wave of TLE over the classics, but I was proven wrong with Second Solution.
Easing into a set that shared the bands early and new work equally, the highlights came with Save The Day, an astonishing acoustic version of Nothing Lasts Forever and a fragment of Run To Paradise by The Choireboys which flowed into epic sing-a-long, Roll On. Mid way through the gig, I found myself comparing tonights performance to The Living End shows of the past.
My last encounter with The Living End was in June of 2010 at the annual Community Cup football game. As they toughed it out through their hits (and no new material) for over an hour, I was left wondering what time was left in The Living End’s life as a band. Chris declared the band had spent a lot of time drinking and recording and the work was taking its toll. But tonight I felt a sigh of relief as an energetic, passionate and revitalized Chris Cheney, Scott Owen and Andy Strachan performed at a level of distinction that I felt had been absent in most recent local gigs I had attended around Melbourne.
Rounding out the main set with Prisoner of Society and title track The Ending Is Just The Beginning Repeating, The Living End had saved the very best of the night for their hometown crowd, with an encore comprising of White Noise, new track Away from the City and the renowned West End Riot, which saw the night stretch well into the early hours of the morning.
The Living End really are one of the hardest working bands in music today, but the new material feels stretched and uninspired at times. With much of The Ending Is Just The Beginning Repeating sounding the same, the highlights of the night came through with the earlier material. Their future may have been in doubt the past few years, but The Living End are back doing what they do best. More specifically, The Living End are back doing what they love; playing honest rock n roll in an age where dub-step seemingly rules the airwaves.
Luke Sutton
Check out Rebecca Houlden's photos of the night here!
With the release of The Ending Is Just The Beginning Repeating, a new age of The Living End has been born. Taking to the Palace to tour their new material (and the fabled classics), The Living End tore the roof off the Palace, Melbourne in a night that would blow away fans and only continue to establish their name as one of Australia’s greatest modern rock acts.
Melbourne’s dismal public transport system caused me to miss opening act Hunting Grounds, but as I walked into the Palace, King Cannons were taking to the stage. Quite a large group, King Cannons could only be best described as modern day tribute to The Clash, with hints of the Stray Cats thrown in for good measure. Over the next forty-five minutes, they converted the crowd into fans with their unique and striking brand of rock. Giving away free copies of the debut single Stand Right Up at the merch desk, I saw many crowd members head to the stand to secure their own copies. A brilliant band in their own right that deserve to be heard, you can be sure to hear King Cannons across the airwaves and selling out their own shows in the near future.
Admittedly, I didn’t enjoy The Ending Is Just The Beginning Repeating as much as I wanted to. I felt that it was missing something crucial to their heart and soul. When the band took to the stage, what I felt was lost was surely found as The Living End kicked off the night with In the Morning, Heatwave and Machine Gun (whose opening riff almost stole the show); the first three tracks from album #6. While the new material sounds better live, it still severely lacks the raw charm of the Roll On days. At this point I was worried we’d be hearing a focus on the new wave of TLE over the classics, but I was proven wrong with Second Solution.
Easing into a set that shared the bands early and new work equally, the highlights came with Save The Day, an astonishing acoustic version of Nothing Lasts Forever and a fragment of Run To Paradise by The Choireboys which flowed into epic sing-a-long, Roll On. Mid way through the gig, I found myself comparing tonights performance to The Living End shows of the past.
My last encounter with The Living End was in June of 2010 at the annual Community Cup football game. As they toughed it out through their hits (and no new material) for over an hour, I was left wondering what time was left in The Living End’s life as a band. Chris declared the band had spent a lot of time drinking and recording and the work was taking its toll. But tonight I felt a sigh of relief as an energetic, passionate and revitalized Chris Cheney, Scott Owen and Andy Strachan performed at a level of distinction that I felt had been absent in most recent local gigs I had attended around Melbourne.
Rounding out the main set with Prisoner of Society and title track The Ending Is Just The Beginning Repeating, The Living End had saved the very best of the night for their hometown crowd, with an encore comprising of White Noise, new track Away from the City and the renowned West End Riot, which saw the night stretch well into the early hours of the morning.
The Living End really are one of the hardest working bands in music today, but the new material feels stretched and uninspired at times. With much of The Ending Is Just The Beginning Repeating sounding the same, the highlights of the night came through with the earlier material. Their future may have been in doubt the past few years, but The Living End are back doing what they do best. More specifically, The Living End are back doing what they love; playing honest rock n roll in an age where dub-step seemingly rules the airwaves.
Luke Sutton
Check out Rebecca Houlden's photos of the night here!