August 28 was a date I looked so forward to. The Living End, from Melbourne, Australia, were doing a US West Coast tour with a stop in Seattle. I have only seen The Living End at festivals. Once at End Fest on the Kitsap Peninsula in 2001 and at Warped Tour I think in 2006. This was a show not to be missed.
This trio sure packed a lot of power with the combined talents of Chris Cheney on Gretsch guitar and vocals, Scott Owen on upright bass and Andy Strachan, who gets my vote as the hardest working drummer in rock music.
They opened with my favorite song, “Second Solution,” followed by another of my favorites, “Roll On.” The packed crowd sang along to every word. The Living End has been around since 1994, but released their first album in 1997. I discovered them in 1999 and have been a die hard fan ever since.
Other than singing along with every song word for word, this was an older, ergo tamer audience than I’ve experienced at all ages punk shows. The closest they came to moshing was when the band played their most recognizable song (in this country anyway) “Prisoner Of Society.” I felt myself being crushed against the stage more than a few times.
At a dramatic moment in their set Chris grabbed a full bottle of beer and used it as a guitar slide, beer spilling out the top of the bottle, then held aloft the bottle, tipped back his head and let the remaining contents empty down his throat.
The real highlight came at the end when they played “West End Riot” and inserted a few choruses of the old Steppenwolf song, “Born To Be Wild,” until Chris announced he wasn’t going to play that song any more and the band lit back into “West End Riot.” At this point Christ climbed on top of Scott’s bass, still churning out chords on his Gretsch, neither of them missing a note.
Then the night was over and the break tape came on. As others spewed out into the street I stood on the floor for a moment longer, absorbing the the entire event, coming to terms with the fact I finally got to see The Living End play their own full show, a moment I’d been wanting to experience for many years.
Prior to the Living End was a band hailing from LA called the Wild Roses. The Wild Roses was fronted by Marc Orrell. The second he hit the stage his dynamic was intoxicating. A former member of the Dropkick Murphys (he joined the Murphys at the tender age of 17 and was referred to as the Kid), he was manic to the max and I would go as far as claiming he probably soaks in a charisma bath before every show because he dripped with charm. This charm was contrasted when he belted out a song with the lyrics, you’re gonna get my foot up your ass, while flipping the audience the bird. At no time did he lose his oozing charm.
Midway through their set they played a cover of the Clash’s “Lost In The Supermarket,” starting with just Marc on vocals and guitar, with the rest of the band (Jeff Roffredo, upright bass, JC August, pedal steel guitar & Sean Winchester on drums) chimed in. Quiet Riot’s Come On Feel the Noise was another cover they did, but they gave it aa more gritty, rock flavor than the original pure pop version. The Wild Roses are pure blues based rock and roll with elements of the Rolling Stones mixed thoroughly into their sound. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for any announcements of a return to Seattle as I will definitely see them again.
Opening the entire night was Seattle’s own Wages Of Sin. This time their set was more Celtic than the last time I saw them, but that’s not a complaint. Much of their music is very reminiscent of the Pogues and they do this very well. Wages Of Sin didn’t have a strong stage presence in a club the size of Neumo’s, but their music is tight and nectar for the ears. Wages Of Sin is, Jesse Stewart – vocals & guitar; Ethan Sobotta – upright bass; Mark Robben – mandolin & harmonica; Nate Atkins – drums; Erin Hiller.
My one complaint about the night is the sound mix. For all three bands the mix was weak on the vocals from where I was in front of the stage. But it wasn’t horrible and all three bands were outstanding. Another night of great music and great entertainment hit Seattle and I am so glad I was witness to it.
The Living End
