REVIEW: The Living End at Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea
Any band whose guitarist wields a great big Gretsch semi-acoustic guitar, a la Kirk Brandon and Brian Setzer, you know is going to be good, and Chris Cheney does not disappoint.
The band themselves are a revelation – with a double bass you’d expect a smattering of rockabilly, but it’s only on Tear It Up, a song made famous by The Cramps, that yields to the genre.
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Hide AdInstead the band come from a long line of great Australian rock ‘n’ roll bands, from Jet back to AC/DC – I’m sure I heard Cheney sneak an Angus Young riff into one song.
The band are big on punk rock melodies and huge sing-a-long choruses – much like the aforementioned Green day which, to be honest, is no bad thing – which the large crowd lap up.
It’s the last night of The Living End’s UK tour, and both the band and crowd are in a celebratory mood. By the encore, the crowd are singing the words to Uncle Harry before the band take to the stage for a rousing finale.
A hot night, with a hot crowd, for a hot band.