The Living End, Photography by MCH | Mushroom Creative House
Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens makes an unlikely punk rock venue. Ahead of Aus music veterans The Living End’s hometown show on their I Only Trust Rock N Roll tour, fans found plenty of room to spread out on the grass, wine by the bottle, and a variety of cuisines to choose from. Once upon a time punters would have queued down the street to descend into a dingy, sweaty band room to see The Living End. But 1997 was a long time ago.
The Prize brought the energy early, ripping through a set of Ramones-esque pubby pop rock. While the band’s five members share vocal duties, singing drummer Nadine Muller provided the spark to elevate them from being just another jeans-and-a-t-shirt rock band, highlighted by her mighty performance on “Say Your Mine”.
After an entertaining interstitial from DJ The Knave, Private Function stormed the stage. P-Func shows often revolve around a theme or narrative, such as their Wild West 2022 Meredith appearance or their live to air treasure hunt on Triple R in 2023. At the Gardens, they celebrated the 90s, performing in front of a haunting loop of a Smith’s chips ad (feat. Gobbledok) overlayed with references to the golden days of Australian children’s television. Frontman Chris Penney proudly proclaimed he saw The Living End in ’97, naturally.
It was a barrage of chaotic and slightly unhinged punk. The fans up the front were loving every moment while the rest of the crowd were equal parts bemused and entertained. Bass player Milla Holland took on lead vocal duties for a few songs and Cable Ties drummer Shauna Boyle made a cameo appearance during “Holbrook”, providing some welcome variety. The entire audience got on board during their cover of Coldplay’s “Yellow”, which closed out the set.
With the sun setting, the first of the bats taking flight and a large rain bomb looming, the Gardens began to swell with people ahead of The Living End’s two set performance. The trio opened with their new album’s lead single “Alfie” before a triumphant rendition of “Roll On”. Bandleader Chris Cheney told the crowd the first set would be a mix of “smash hits and deep cuts”, while the main course would be the band’s self-titled debut album played in full.
A muscular yet effortless display of musicianship and showmanship ensued. Album track “Hold Up” and lesser-known single “Nothing Lasts Forever” were unexpected highlights, while new song “Strange Place” showed that Cheney’s penchant for crude social commentary is alive and well. Towards the end of the first set, the rain started coming down, adding a sense of drama to the band’s taut debut single, “From Here On In”.
The rain had properly set in by the time the trio reemerged and launched into “Prisoner of Society”. Rather than playing their first album in strict order, Cheney and co. reserved two of their biggest hits, “All Torn Down” and “West End Riot”, for later in the set, creating a more coherent and well-paced show.
Long-time fans relished hearing album tracks such as “Monday”, and Cheney had the crowd in the palm of his hand throughout. Veering between guitar god and daggy uncle, he shared anecdotes about his dismay upon hearing his own songs in the supermarket, and bonding over teenage Heinekens with long-term partner in crime, bassist Scott Owen. “Release the bats!” Cheney declared before a rousing encore of “Uncle Harry” that had the whole crowd belting along.
It was an electrifying, no frills rock show. All of the band’s trademarks were on display: blistering guitar work, thumping grooves at breakneck speed, and double bass acrobatics. These punk-ish rockers might now be part of the establishment, but they transported us back to a simpler time with an evening of good old-fashioned rock’n’roll. Maybe ’97 isn’t so long ago after all.
The Living End, Private Function and The Prize performed at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong peoples, on Saturday 22 November.
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