The Living End

A

ustralian punk rockabilly band The Living End formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1994 by Chris Cheney (vocals/guitar) and Scott Owen (bass/backing vocals), who had met years earlier in primary school through their older sisters and began performing together in 1990 while attending Wheelers Hill Secondary College in Melbourne. Cheney and Owen had their first public gig at The Rob Roy in Melbourne in 1991. Cheney was a fan of the rockabilly group Stray Cats, prompting Owen, who originally played piano, to switch to double bass. The pair formed the cover band, The Runaway Boys, named after a track of the same name from the Stray Cats self-titled 1981 debut album, and performed Stray Cats and The Clash material. By 1994, Cheney and Owen were writing their own material and decided to change the band's name to The Living End in reference to the 1956 film Rock Around the Clock.

Initially featuring Joe Piripitzi (drums), the act would eventually incorporate Travis Demsey (drums/backing vocals), Adrian Lombardi (guitar/backing vocals; touring) and finally Andy Strachan (drums) along side Owen and Cheney who have been members during the entire band tenure.

The Living End have always considered themselves to be a rock 'n' roll band based on punk ethics, citing The Clash, Iggy Pop, The Who and The Jam as influences and bands with whom they share the same ideals of social commentary.

** This article is also available on our official app.