LIVE REVIEW: The Living End + Loose Content @ The Fortitude Music Hall

Words by Natalie Blacklock
Photography by Paul Blackburn // @wysiwyg.pix – FULL GALLERY HERE

Fresh off the release of their 9^th studio album, ‘I Only Trust Rock n Roll’, Aussie music stalwarts, The Living End are back on the road, still delivering the raw and unrelenting rock’n’roll energy that made them a household name more than three decades ago. The band have just kicked off their 5-date epic Aussie tour, taking over one of Brisbane’s most sought-after venues, The Fortitude Music Hall for a *SOLD OUT* first night of tour.

Located front and centre of the Brunswick Street Mall, The Fortitude has well and truly made its mark on the local scene, hosting a wide variety of local and international acts since its opening in 2019, including Violent Soho, Grinspoon, Pennywise, NOFX, Sex Pistols and even a Vert-Skating showcase from none other than Tony Hawk, celebrating 25 years of Pro Skater 2. The venue is the work of Hutchinson Builders Chairman, Scott Hutchinson, Powderfinger Bassist / owner of The Triffid, John “JC” Collins and Splendour in the Grass co-founder Paul Piticco, seeks to serve as a “Festival Hall for a whole new generation”. From the bright lighted mall-side façade, The Fortitude Music Hall opens into a spectacular foyer, glittering front bar followed by the triumphant two-level, high-ceiling bandroom, which features opulent hanging chandeliers and tiered standing areas for some 3000+ punters to have a perfect view of the stage no matter where they find themselves.

For this tour, The Living End committed to supporting the music industry in the best way they know how — by curating a line-up of diverse opening acts for every show. Kicking off proceedings for the Brisbane crowd were Loose Content, a three-piece indie/alt-rock outfit hailing from the Byron Bay hinterland, who now split their time between the Northern Rivers and Melbourne. Formed in early 2018, the band already boast an impressive resume, including appearances at renowned Australian festivals including Byron Bay Bluesfest and Woodford Folk Festival as well as support slots for The Cruel Sea, Magic Dirt and The Vanns under their belt. The trio — MiLLa (Milla Stewart-Long) on Bass and Vocals, Sam Sanders on Guitar, and Aquila Porter on Drums and Backing Vocals — took to the stage with a swift, punchy six song set filled with groovy jams, gritty choruses, and the haunting dual Vocals of Stewart-Long and Porter. No One Left To Call had the crowd bopping along early in the night. The tail end of Loose Content’s set saw driving guitars traded for an acoustic moment delivering “a special one for the band” in Swoon, a slow burner that built beautifully to a stirring crescendo. The band reignited the energy in the room for their closer, the up-tempo Big Bright Burning Sun. While at times thematically darker than the evening’s headliners, Loose Content’s set shone with emotional depth, showcasing both their vulnerability and versatility as musicians.

Widely regarded as one of Australia’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands, The Living End have forged their reputation on an electrifying blend of punk, rockabilly, and alternative rock, delivered with a uniquely Aussie spin. Formed in Melbourne in 1994, the powerhouse trio have built a career spanning more than three decades, featuring charismatic Frontman Chris Cheney, Double Bass virtuoso Scott Owen, and dynamic Drummer Andy Strachan. Their energetic live shows and catchy hooks have cemented them as icons of the Australian music scene across generations. In their early days, Cheney and Owen began performing together as a rockabilly cover band, The Runaway Boys, inspired by bands like The Clash and The Stray Cats. By 1994, the duo had developed their own sound, fusing old-school rock‘n’roll with punk intensity, rebranding as The Living End. Their early EPs, including ‘Hellbound’ (1995) and ‘It’s For Your Own Good’ (1996), gained underground success, leading to their breakout hit Prisoner Of Society in 1997 — a song that became an anthem for rebellious youth and launched the band into the national spotlight.

In the lead-up to these shows, The Living End have teased fans with the promise of two epic sets every night: the first set will see them play select tracks from new album ‘I Only Trust Rock n Roll’, alongside a swag of hits that have made them household names over the last three decades. The second set will take fans back to where it all started with the band playing their iconic, multi-platinum self-titled debut album, released in 1998 in FULL.

The first set kicked off with the opening two tracks from ‘I Only Trust Rock n Roll’; the stripped, chopped and straight to the point music industry call-to-arms, Alfie and the pub-friendly punkabilly banger, Roller, which the heaving Brisbane crowd couldn’t get enough of. Frontman Chris Cheney paused to rally the audience, making sure everyone had their singing voices ready before launching into 2001’s Roll On — the fiery underdog anthem inspired by the 1998 Waterfront Dispute between Patrick Corporation and the Maritime Workers Union. Hitting the crowd with a 1-2 punch, they followed on with Pictures In The Mirror. Bassist Scott Owen stole the spotlight as he effortlessly threw his Double Bass around the stage – something that is harder than it looks (trust me, with a partner in a Psychobilly band, the size and weight of an Upright Bass is nothing to be scoffed at!). Frontman Cheney took a moment to dedicate 2003’s Hold Up to “all the people who used to come and see us at the Crash and Burn and lived to tell the tale”. For those not old enough to remember, the Crash and Burn, formerly located on Edward Street in the heart of Brisbane City – hosted bands including Millencolin, Agnostic Front, Guttermouth, Bodyjar and even Blink-182. The energy continued with the top-tapping Hey Hey Disbeliever from 2008’s ‘White Noise’. The between-song banter continued as Cheney told the crowd “We always get asked why we don’t play anything off ‘State of Emergency’”. He continued “Because it’s our fucking band and we do what we like… but here’s one”, as they launched into the politically charged, Wake Up. On a personal note, this is one of my favourite tracks from The Living End – and I would like to think I’m responsible for its addition to tonight’s setlist. Last month, during the band’s Q&A / Meet and Greet last month, I dug out my original CD single for the occasion with the band exclaiming, “Well, that’s a blast from the past!”. Returning to the new album, the band unleash Strange Place, a firecracker that captures the chaos, confusion, and collapse of the modern world. Big riffs and Double Bass spins were the order of the day on the bluesy How Do We Know. Cheney introduced the next track saying “This next song is from 1996. We’d been a cover band for about 4 years. We liked rockabilly, punk, rock, pop and Whitney Houston… and this is the first song that got us national airplay”, turning back the clock for a stunning performance of From Here On In. A fitting choice to close out this set was new album track, Misery, an uplifting riff-heavy number about kicking bad habits, shedding negativity and toxic people.

Intermission was called, with an array of 1950’s and 1960’s era movie snack bar promos and theatre advertisements (including Creature From The Black Lagoon and Let’s Go To The Lobby) playing on loop and a soundtrack featuring the likes of The Beach Boys and Rancid, there were no illusions about the depth and breadth of The Living End’s musical and thematical influences.

As the lights dimmed once again, a countdown clock wound back to 1997, accompanied by a video montage revisiting some of that year’s biggest headlines: the tragic passing of Princess Diana, Oasis announcing their first Australian tour, the horrific Thredbo landslide disaster, Tiger Woods’ first major tournament win, and of course The Living End scoring a national tour support with Bodyjar (who they’d later share the stage with at Melbourne’s Push Over Festival ‘97 in November). The montage rolled through 1998, marking the release of The Living End’s self-titled debut album – the very record they were about to perform in full – before flashing into 1999, when the band took home two ARIA Awards for Best Group and Breakthrough Artist (Album) on the back of their debut record’s success. Following a sneaky intermission outfit change, the band roared back to life with the album’s explosive opener, Prisoner of Society, sending the Brisbane crowd into an absolute frenzy. They jumped straight into Growing Up (Falling Down) before tearing through Second Solution, which “blew the fucking doors off”, with Scott Owen’s Bass Click reverberating through the venue. The set strayed from the album’s tracklisting, seamlessly moving into sultry rockabilly sounds of Bloody Mary and Monday, which commemorates Scotland’s 1996 Dunblane Primary School massacre. Ska was back in a big way on Trapped – even without the Horn section, the crowd were loving it. Cheney and the band took a moment to reminisce “It’s the 90’s all over again. You’re still here, we’re still here. Some of these people weren’t even born in 1998”, before picking up the pace to unleash the record’s second single, Save The Day. Owen’s antics were again on show as he took to the floor – Double Bass and all! For Have They Forgotten, Cheney brought out the original Guitar used on the recording — an instrument that reportedly hadn’t been played since 1998. I can confirm, it’s still got plenty of life left in it. Martini’s (and big fat joints) all round were the call for Fly Away. The trip down memory lane continued as Cheney regaled a trip to Woolworths with the crowd. He was shopping for Glad Wrap and heard a familiar song coming through the PA – the realisation dawned that it was in fact, his song. “That was 26 years ago, and it was this song” he proclaimed, as the familiar drums of Andy Strachan kicked in for All Torn Down. The pub-rock vibes were high for I Want A Day, which Cheney cheekily dedicated to Owen for “being the only member of the band who held down a 9-5 job (at Monash Council) when we started out”. Psychobilly — for the uninitiated, a high-octane fusion of rockabilly and punk rock, defined by its breakneck tempo, raw energy, and horror-inspired flair — was on the menu as the trio delivered Sleep On It. Clear crowd favourite, West End Riot, showcased their band at their absolute best, with Cheney perching himself atop Owen’s glow-in-the-dark Checkerboard Upright Bass. In an effort to share some musical wisdom, Frontman Chris Cheney told the crowd “We were 23 years old when we wrote this album, so we put an instrumental song as the last one on the album. If you’re looking for commercial success, don’t do that!”. Closing In, however, is such an impressive track. Even without lyrics, the rockabilly-leaning jam moves through an array of emotional highs and lows in just three minutes.

“So that’s the that’s the record. We’re gonna give you a couple more then fuck off”, Cheney proclaimed before leading his bandmates through their long-standing instrumental jam featuring the familiar strains of unofficial Aussie National Anthem Waltzing Matilda, the country and western-coded E Boogie and of course AC/DC’s seminal Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Determined to give the crowd just a little bit more, Chris Cheney proclaimed, “I only trust Midnight Oil. I only trust Angus Young and I ONLY TRUST ROCK N ROLL”, before tearing through their new album’s title track. Winding down, the band let loose on 2008 rock’n’roll anthem, White Noise, before taking an opportunity to thank their crew and the crowd alike. Closing out their set and the evening, The Living End threw it back to 2001’s tongue-in-cheek track, Uncle Harry, ending the night on a high!

After three decades as a band, one thing is abundantly clear – The Living End can still rock it has hard as they did back in the 90s and are showing no sign of slowing down. Their latest album, ‘I Only Trust Rock n Roll,’ signals a triumphant return to their roots — brimming with scorching riffs, thunderous rhythms, and the unapologetic rebellious energy that has long defined their sound. As the crowd spilled out into the buzzing Brunswick Street Mall, one thing was abundantly clear – live music is the best platform to express social connection and emotional vulnerability, and it is the punters that have the power to keep it alive. This AusMusic Month, get out to a gig, grab a shirt, and help keep this essential part of our cultural identity thriving.

Presented by Triple M

THE LIVING END
‘I ONLY TRUST ROCK N ROLL’ TOUR

Tickets are on sale now from thelivingend.com.au

SATURDAY 8 NOVEMBER – THE FORTITUDE MUSIC HALL, BRISBANE *SOLD OUT*
Supported by Loose Content
FRIDAY 14 NOVEMBER – THE HINDLEY STREET MUSIC HALL, ADELAIDE *SOLD OUT*
Supported by Coldwave
SATURDAY 22 NOVEMBER – LIVE AT THE GARDENS, ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, MELBOURNE
Supported by Private Function, The Prize, DJ The Knave
SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER – FREMANTLE PRISON, FREMANTLE *SOLD OUT*
Supported by Pleasants
FRIDAY 12 DECEMBER – ON THE STEPS, SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE FORECOURT, SYDNEY
Supported by Southeast Desert Metal