Living End’s wild plan for new album
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On the fly … Chris Cheney, Andy Strachen and Scott Owen from The Living End plan on making it up as they go along for next album. Picture: Richard Dobson
Source: News Limited
THE Living End would be trapped in a bubble of their youth if the wishes of some of their most ardent fans came true.
Considering frontman Chris Cheney is sipping a mojito while attending a children’s birthday party in Beverly Hills, those dreams of a perpetually young TLE re-creating their raw and ready debut record are officially dashed.
Two decades after forming the band with his bassist schoolmate Scott Owen, the trio (which includes drummer Andy Strachan) remains one of Australia’s most revered and successful rock bands.
Six studio records and an unrivalled live reputation have maintained the loyalty of those who made the debut double A side single of Prisoner Of Society and Second Solution one of the highest selling independent singles in the country.
Those fans will no doubt be rather chuffed to find out that Cheney and his band of brothers finally plan to return to the studio with the intention of recreating the rough spontaneity and incendiary energy of those early days.
Cheney, who has lived in Los Angeles for the past three years, said after a clutch of rare club shows and their A Day on The Green concerts with Jimmy Barnes, they will head into the studio to record their seventh album.
And not a song has been written in advance.
“Some people are always asking us to make a record like our first one but of course we’re not the same band we were then,” Cheney says.
“I know what people want, that live sound just blasted out and that first record holds a place in people’s hearts because of that ragged energy. I understand there’s a charm to that.
“But the more gigs you play, the better players you become.”
Club night … The Living End will play clubs in between their winery shows with good mate Jimmy Barnes. Picture: Supplied.
Source: Supplied
Cheney admits he prefers to be prepared so is nervous about the prospect of going in to the studio to see what will magic will happen between the three men.
“We’ve never done this before. I was going to say we did on the first record but we had played those songs to death,” he says.
“I’m a bit nervous, it’s a bit scary because I like being prepared.
“But I think the idea will be we just go for the energy and play and try to throw something together on the spot.”
The frontman, who was back in Australia in July, says he can’t remember the last gig The Living End played. But he hasn’t been idle in LA.
He moved there to explore other songwriting opportunities for both the band and other artists and has also found himself the latest member of a rock supergroup alongside one of his heroes, the Stray Cats’ Slim Jim Phantom.
Grown up but returning to their roots, in a way … The Living End (l-r) Cheney, Strachan and Owen.
Source: News Limited
Other members of the collective include Capitain Sensible of The Damned, Mike Peters of The Alarm, with Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan and Saturday Night Live alum Fred Armisen as guests.
Cheney and Phantom have enjoyed a long-running friendship thanks to the Stray Cats’drummer’s kids.
“I have known Jim for a longtime. When we first toured over here, he brought his son and knocked on the dressing room door after the gig saying his kid wanted to meet us,” Cheney explains.
“Hey, we wanted to meet Jim!
“he needed a guitar player for Dead Men Walking, which is going to be an ongoing thing for me, with a European tour likely and maybe a record.
“It’s gotten me out of the house and on stage playing guitar again.”
It took several months of “getting out there” for Cheney to build the kind of network in Los Angeles which leads to not only gigs but writing sessions.
He has a cut on the upcoming Black Veil Brides record and has also been tapped for session work through his friendship with former Dropkick Murphys guitarist Marc Orrell.
But TLE remains his day job. The three men have that rare alchemy which exists between musicians who have been through the trenches and share an intuitive ability to pick up where they left off.
“Playing the club shows is going to be awesome because we so rarely get to do them. I think we only have one rehearsal booked. It’s going to be nice and rough.”
* The Living End perform at the Robert Oatley Vineyards, Mudgee, November 1, The Metro Theatre, November 6 and Bimbadgen Winery, Hunter Valley, November 8.
