A freezing cold Wednesday evening set the scene for The Living End’s visit to ANU Bar. Having sold out shows and forced additional performances in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, the stage was set for a massive night.
Fellow Melbourne band King Cannons kicked off the night, warming up the crowd who had arrived early enough. I arrived in time to catch Ballarat’s ‘Hunting Grounds’, whose claim to fame is winning Triple J’s Unearthed High competition two years ago under their previous name, ‘Howl’.
The tiny ANU Bar stage proved fairly small for the six band members, and their questionable haircuts, but this didn’t stop the band from delivering a highly energetic set. Their performance of their single ‘In Colour’ near the end of their set cemented the fact that they’re a group destined to perform live. Overall Hunting Grounds gave a really impressive performance for such a young group, and I look forward to hearing their debut album once it’s released.
Well and truly warmed up, the crowd waited in anticipation for the band commonly referred to as the country’s greatest live act. Chris, Scott and Andy took to the stage and kicked off with a couple of newer songs, but it wasn’t until they belted out ‘Second Solution’ from their debut album that the crowd worked into a frenzy, and it became obvious what the crowd was after.
Double bassist Scott Owen is well renowned for his bass stunts and he didn’t disappoint, spending a fair chunk of ‘Second Solution’ standing on his instrument.
Decked out in tight jeans, a black suit jacket with a black bandana tied around his head, which he dubbed his ‘tennis outfit’, front man Chris Cheney belted out hit after hit, proving that neither age nor touring fatigue can weary him.
Their set featured a healthy dose of tracks from all of their five albums, as well as a taste of the band’s recent album, including the title track, ‘The Ending Is Just the Beginning Repeating’. The predominantly older crowd were receptive to the newer songs, but really responded to their back catalogue of hits, cultimating in ‘Prisoner of Society’.
The boys returned to the stage for an encore of three songs, finishing on a high with ‘West End Riot’. It would easily have been the twentieth time I’ve seen The Living End play live, but they never fail to blow me away. If you’re yet to catch these guys in the flesh, do yourself a favour – they’re back in town for New Years.
Photos: Chris Whitfield
