The Living End step in with a last minute headline show at Hotel Brunswick, giving fans a live fix over the Easter weekend after Bluesfest was called off.
by Paul Cashmere
When the curtain came down on this year’s Bluesfest plans, The Living End wasted little time finding a way to stay on stage. The Melbourne trio have announced a one-off headline show at Hotel Brunswick in Brunswick Heads, set for Saturday April 4, turning a cancelled festival appearance into an intimate pub rock event.
For a band with a long-standing reputation as one of Australia’s most reliable live acts, the decision was immediate. Rather than sit out the Easter weekend, they opted to create their own moment, downsizing from a major festival slot to a packed room gig that leans into their roots.
“Like all of you who had planned on going to Bluesfest, we were bummed out when it got cancelled,” the band said. “So, we thought stuff it, we wanna play a gig anyway so we are! The Living End are gonna rip the roof off the Brunswick Hotel. Let’s Rock!!”
The show will serve as both a celebration and a reset. Fans who had planned to see the band on a large festival stage will now experience them in a far more direct setting, a format that has always suited their high energy delivery. From the early days playing Melbourne pubs to international touring, The Living End have built their reputation on performances that prioritise immediacy and intensity.
The Brunswick Heads show will feature material from their most recent album I Only Trust Rock n Roll, their first studio release in eight years. The record reaffirms the band’s core identity, a collision of punk urgency and rockabilly rhythm anchored in classic 1950s rock and roll. Tracks such as ‘Misery’, ‘Alfie’, ‘Strange Place’, ‘Roller’ and the title track have already become staples in their current setlists.
Alongside the new material, the band will draw heavily on a catalogue that has defined Australian rock across three decades. Songs like ‘White Noise’, ‘Roll On’, ‘Who’s Gonna Save Us’, ‘All Torn Down’, ‘Second Solution’ and ‘Prisoner of Society’ remain central to their live shows, each one tied to a different phase of the band’s evolution.
Formed in Melbourne in 1994 by Chris Cheney and Scott Owen, The Living End emerged from the city’s rockabilly scene before rapidly expanding into a broader punk rock audience. Their breakthrough came with the 1997 release of the Second Solution / Prisoner of Society single, which climbed to No. 4 on the ARIA Singles Chart and became one of the defining Australian releases of the decade.
Their 1998 self titled debut album went to No. 1 in Australia and established them internationally, followed by a string of successful releases including Roll On, Modern Artillery and State of Emergency, the latter also reaching No. 1. Over time, the band refined a sound that balanced social commentary with accessible hooks, while maintaining a strong connection to their live origins.
Since 2002, the core line-up of Chris Cheney, Scott Owen and Andy Strachan has remained unchanged, providing a level of continuity that has underpinned their longevity. Across eight studio albums and multiple decades of touring, they have collected five ARIA Awards from 27 nominations, including Best Group and Best Rock Album honours.
Music historian Ian McFarlane once described the band as “one of Australia’s premier rock acts”, pointing to their ability to merge punk, rockabilly and straight ahead rock into a cohesive and recognisable style. That synthesis is particularly evident in a live environment, where the upright bass, driving guitar and relentless drumming create a distinctive sonic signature.
The Hotel Brunswick performance taps directly into that heritage. Smaller venues have always been a proving ground for The Living End, a place where new songs are tested and old favourites take on renewed energy.
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