The Living End
6th February 2019
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.
A mid-week public holiday was celebrated in style last night as our neighbours from across the ditch The Living End popped over for a blistering set in support of their latest album Wunderbar.
Local support band Ekko Park fronted by the very Irish Joe Walsh delivered a solid set last night to entertain the early arrivals, tracks such as ‘Validation’ and a nice little cover of the Elemeno P classic ’11:57’ finding their place amongst those paying attention. Coming off the back of a recent national tour with the Jordan Luck Band, it was obvious that the four piece were pleased with themselves to be sharing the same stage as one of their favourite Aussie bands. While bassist Bryan Bell is a familiar face to many who follow the New Zealand music scene, more (fairly) recent addition to the band Alex Hargreaves is the one to keep an eye on. Bringing a youthful exuberance to the stage she also happens to front her own thee piece band by the name of Papercity, whose latest music video for their single ‘Plastic’ is well worth a look.
The Living End are well known for their live performances and for good reason; many a fan and reviewer stating that they just don’t do bad shows. And that has a lot to do with the on-stage relationship between front man Chris Cheney and double bassist Scott Owen who after almost twenty-five years together are like a well-oiled machine. Add in drummer Andy Strachan who has spent the last seventeen years with the duo and The Living End are bona fide experts in the field of how to lay down an exceptional show. Often cited as Australia’s greatest punk rock band (Shh don’t tell Frenzal Rhomb – Editor), The Living End actually consider themselves a rock and roll band ‘influenced by the ethics of punk’, a fact made evident in recent interviews with Cheney in regard to their latest album Wunderbar.
Kicking off with a taste of their latest material, ‘Don’t Lose It’ came out punching, it’s full bodied sound and memorable chorus a solid start to the night’s proceedings. While The Living End may only consist of three members, they are like a juggernaut on stage, easily filling the space with their presence…and their instruments. Or one instrument to be exact; Owen’s impressive double bass often drawing the eye, Owen himself wielding it like a third arm, his fingers plucking the thick steel strings with ease.
Mixing together old and new ‘Second Solution’ was an early crowd favourite, the boys continuing to turn the clock back with tracks such as ‘Til’ The End’ and ‘Bloody Mary’; Cheney tossing out a few comments here and there before being playfully teased by Owen’s for his wearing of white jeans. While Owen’s playing of the double bass only increased in tenacity as the set went on, Cheney was displaying some rather fine skills of his own; his trademark Gretsch White Falcon the foundation for some stunning solo work and inter-song meanderings. The Star-Spangled Banner making an appearance before the band launched into another of their latest tracks ‘Death Of The American Dream’; with a hard and fast pace and those rockabilly overtones that they are so well known for, the track kicks complete ass live before suddenly turning on its heels with a beguiling acoustic finish.
The metal-esque intro of ‘Loaded Gun’ ushered in an epic version of ‘All Torn Down’, before the fantastically raucous ‘Proton Pill’ exploded forth, the scorching guitar riff seeing the entire crowd bouncing. Wunderbar standout ‘Drop the Needle’ which sees The Living End firmly plant themselves in the camp of straight down the line rock n roll, certainly found its home within the Auckland crowd; old favourites ‘White Noise’ and the defiant ‘Prisoner of Society’ ending the set on a pulsating high. Returning for the obligatory encore, Owens – following a genuine but amusing attempt at trying to pronounce Waitangi Day – received a round of applause for his compliment of New Zealand and its embracement of both its heritage and indigenous people; “Australia could learn a lot from you guys”. Throwing in a quip about Australia still being a great place though with a sideways grin, Owens looked over at Cheney who then teased the crowd with some snippets of AC/DC, the familiar notes of ‘Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution’ and ‘Dirty Deeds’ bringing a smile to everyone in the room.
But all good things must sadly come to an end, and while it may have been the close of the set The Living End weren’t going out quietly; instead an extended version of ‘Uncle Harry’ complete with a lively crowd shout along to the chorus seeing everyone present go home happy. With Wunderbar seeing The Living End take a walk down the evolutionary path bringing with it new and exciting music that translates well live, their performances are only guaranteed to keep setting that bar high.
Were you there at the Powerstation for this rock and roll rockabilly punk throw down? Or have you seen The Living End perform live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Don’t Lose It
- Second Solution
- Til The End
- Bloody Mary
- Otherside
- Roll On
- Up The Junction
- Death Of The American Dream
- Loaded Gun
- All Torn Down
- Proton Pill
- End Of The World
- Wake Up
- Drop The Needle
- White Noise
- Prisoner Of Society
- E Boogie [encore]
- Uncle Harry [encore]
If you enjoyed this content, please consider donating towards the running of Ambient Light, covering expenses and allowing us to expand the coverage you love by clicking the red button below (Desktop) or visiting our PressPatron page (Mobile).