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The Living End

All it took was one riff – one single, glorious, heart-starting monster of a hard rock riff – and The Living End's fate was sealed. When guitarist/vocalist Chris Cheney walked into band-practice one day in late-2007 and launched into the barrage of finger-searing seventies-style groove-guitar histrionics that kick off “How Do We Know” – the first track on The Living End's new album White Noise, he and bandmates Scott Owen (stand-up bass) and Andy Strachan (drums) suddenly saw months of frustration evaporate and a universe of possibilities become clear. It had been ten years since The Living End recorded their breakout double A-side single, “Second Solution” / “Prisoner of Society” – with many hit songs, gold and platinum albums, sold-out shows, festival-headlining appearances, world tours, award statuettes, magazine covers and satisfied punters in between. Already among the best-loved and most respected groups in the country, the Melbourne trio's last effort, 2006's State Of Emergency, had seen them re-attain the dizzying heights, debuting at #1 on the charts and leading to some of the biggest shows of their career so far. Having completed the extensive touring commitments for State Of Emergency, in mid-2007 The Living End reconvened to focus on writing their next full-length album. But the pressure to produce a successful follow-up soon proved too much. Mired in a creative malaise, chief songwriter Cheney suggested they resume hiatus for another few months. It was sometime towards the latter part of the year when the sweet Jimmy Page-meets-Jack White’s-octave-pedal brilliance of the “How Do We Know” riff struck him. While some would liken it to a religious awakening, Scott and Andy reckon it was like watching Chris drop his trousers. Call it what you will – from that moment on, the floodgates were open, everything just flowed.