The Living End’s first album came out over 20 years ago. That first hit, the double-A sided ‘Second Solution/Prisoner of Society’ is year older. I guess that makes The Living End a ‘Classic Rock band’.
In the two decades The Living End have been around they have managed to maintain a rock solid consistency which has now become their legacy. Has there been a greater Australian rock act in the past 20 years? I challenge you to name one.
Powderfinger certainly had the passion but not the power. They are bordering 25 years since their first album. Silverchair had the power but not the passion. They are hitting the 24-year mark since their debut this year. Neither had the stamina of The Living End and broke up long before the 20-year mark.
The Living End have had a remarkably high quality body of work since that first single 22 years ago and it is fitting that for Red Hot Summer ‘Second Solution/Prisoner of Society’ are placed almost as bookends in the set.
Three songs from the new album ‘Wunderbar’ fit perfectly in the setlist. The Living End open their Red Hot Summer set with ‘Don’t Lose It’ and it goes in right alongside the “classic hits”.
‘Wunderbar’ arrived late 2018 just two weeks less that the 20th anniversary of the first album. Four tracks from that introduction to the band still make this setlist and not one of them sounds out of place.
The Living End can pretty much drop the needle (pardon the pun) across any era in putting a setlist together. For The Living End Red Hot Summer show they set the DeLoreon from now back to 1998, forward to 2006, back to 1998, back to now, onto 2000 and then 1998 again, 2018, 2006, 2008 and 1998. What it demonstrates is that after all of this time The Living End have remained true to their original inspirations. This is an Australian band of international standard with a unique sound and they aren’t afraid to make a statement.
The Living End, Red Hot Summer, Ballarat, 26 January 2019
Don’t Lose It (from Wunderbar, 2018)
Second Solution (from The Living End, 1998)
Til The End (from State of Emergency, 2006)
Bloody Mary (from The Living End, 1998)
Death to the American Dream (from Wunderbar, 2018)
Roll On (from Roll On, 2000)
All Torn Down (from The Living End, 1998)
Drop the Needle (from Wunderbar, 2018)
Wake Up (from State of Emergency, 2006)
E Boogie (instrumental)
White Noise (from White Noise, 2008)
Prisoner of Society (from The Living End, 1998)
Red Hot Summer Series One remaining dates
Feb 2 Roche Estate, Hunter Valley NSW
Feb 3 Bella Vista Farm, Sydney NSW
Feb 9 Sandstone Point Hotel, Bribie Island QLD
Feb 10 Sandstone Point Hotel, Bribie Island
Red Hot Summer series one features Jimmy Barnes, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, The Living End, Diesel, Richard Clapton, Chocolate Starfish.
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