Photos by KELSEY RETTING Chris Cheney
works up a sweat during The Living End’s show at The
Roxy.
By Chris Moriates
Daily Bruin Contributor
Australians don’t put up with a lot of slack. They let
bands know right away where they stand.
“When you are playing in clubs in Australia, there is no
gray area ““ you are either good or you’re not,”
said Trav Demsey, drummer for the rock trio The Living End, last
week at a soundcheck before the band’s show at The Roxy.
Luckily for the three Australian musicians, The Living End is
not only a young, innovative band. It is also considered very good
at what it does.
Halfway across the globe from their native Australia, the
members of The Living End felt at home on the intimate Roxy stage.
The show highlighted songs from its 1998 self-titled album, as well
as from its forthcoming album, “Roll On,” which will be
released in the U.S. on March 27.
The music created by The Living End transcends genres ““
the music is not punk and not rockabilly, although those labels are
often attached to the trio. The band’s unique sound can only
be described as “The Living End.”
“There’s no blueprint to what we are really
doing,” front man/guitarist Chris Cheney said, as he sat with
bassist Scott Owen at a sushi restaurant across from the Roxy,
hours before the show.
“Half the time we don’t know whether its gonna work,
and we’ve had to adapt, which is cool. A lot of bands think
“˜I’ll get a Les Paul, a Marshall, I’ll grow my
hair, we’ll write these types of songs and we’ll have a
band.’ But we aren’t like that.”
“Roll On,” promises to bring a more diverse sound
than the band’s previous punk-driven, Clash-esque album. Due
to the pop-oriented feel of “Roll On,” the singles from
the album are expected to get increased American radio attention.
The Living End’s previous album yielded the single
“Prisoner of Society” which went into radio rotation
across the country in 1998.
But that doesn’t mean that the band is necessarily
“selling-out” for radio play.
 Photos by KELSEY RETTING Scott Owen
wrestles with his bass during his band’s Los Angeles stop at
The Roxy. The Living End is currently touring to promote its
upcoming album “Roll On.” “We do have a punk rock
attitude, in that we are gonna make music for ourselves and
we’ve always done it that way,” Owen said. “I
mean we didn’t go rewrite a “˜Prisoner of Society’
just because we knew that did well. We will never have that kind of
attitude, but we are still the kind of band that just wants to be
able to connect with all kinds of people.”
Judging by The Living End’s recent sold-out shows in
Japan, Australia and the U.S., Owen and his band mates are enjoying
the success of their quest to make music that connects with many
different people.
Although they are stationed on the other side of the world,
Cheney said that the music scene in Australia is similar to its
American counterpart.
“I don’t think that its really all that
different,” Cheney said. “Our charts probably have more
U.K. bands than out here, but our charts are still full of Britney
Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Papa Roach and Limp Bizkit, like they
are here.”
Despite any differences, The Living End is becoming prominent on
both continents with its new album and its relentless tour
regimen.
With experience performing with bands such as Green Day,
Blink-182 and the Offspring, the young trio’s dreams seem to
be coming true ““ a good thing considering the three friends
never had any alternate plans if their attempt at rock
‘n’ roll stardom did not succeed.
“Chris and I have been playing together since high
school,” Owen said. “We never wanted to just get a
regular job. We just kept telling our parents “˜One more year
and if the band doesn’t go anywhere, we’ll get a
job.’ I don’t know how many years went by that we said
that.”Â
Currently The Living End is riding high, looking forward to the
U.S. release of its new album, which has already been released in
Australia, and a chance for more recognition in the world of
American music.
Cheney left one final warning for potential listeners.
“Don’t have any preconceptions about the band, by
looking at a photo of us or seeing a film clip or something. I
don’t think that you can sort of look at us and say
“˜Oh, they’re that kind of a band.’ Which is the
great thing about the new album ““ it just sounds like
us.”
MUSIC: “Roll On” will be released
in the U.S. on March 27 on Reprise Records. The band will also
perform at a KROQ show at the Santa Anita race track with A New
Found Glory, Save Ferris and Fenix TX on March 17.