The Living End @ Electric Ballroom
Supports: Gyroscope & I Say Marvin

The Living End is a band scarcely known in the UK, but in their home country of Australia you could quite possibly compare them to the size of a band such as the Arctic Monkeys - a band that you would never normally see outside of an arena, but for UK fans to see them at all is a blessing, let alone in a venue holding only 1000 people.  Yet a good two thirds of this crowd do not to even seem to be from the UK – it seems as though many of the bands hardcore home land fans have travelled to see their favourite band in such an intimate venue.

The first band of the night is very much out of place.  Four emo boys from the UK called I Say Marvin.  They play catchy pop punk riffs with a singer with a harsh voice.  While they’re good the crowd aren’t fans.  A few heads around the venue are nodding in time to the music but with many of the fans looking to the other support and the headline act they’re dismissed as nothing more than background music at most.  Quite possibly a band to see again, but only with the right line up or at a headline show.

The next band on receive a surging reaction.  They too are Australian and are almost as big as the band they’re supporting.  Many of those in the crowd seem to be here purely for Gyroscope, or at least would have preferred if they were the headliners.  A catchy sound which is reminiscent of the band to follow but with a harder rock edge, more like Foo Fighters in a sense.  Their 30 minute set is one which proves that they are a band to see again.  One can only hope that they do their own headline tour of the UK soon.

The Living End are on next and you can feel the tension building, the crowd slowly edging further and further forwards.  The last time they played in the UK was as a 15 minute support slot on tour with ska band Less Than Jake and fellow rockabilly band Dropkick Murphys.  Their show the night before was postponed due to singer, Chris Cheney, having suffered an eye injury so with worries of the same happening tonight fans are rapturous when the band stroll onto the stage and burst into the pogo worthy tune We Want More.  The fans are surging higher and higher and anyone shorter than 6 foot must feel like they’re in a rugby scrum between all of the older fans crammed into the room.  Crowd favourite Roll On is the nest song to be played and you can’t help but feel like you’re part of something bigger as the crowd chants the lyrics.

The band truly are unique, blending of the old school rock n roll sound of someone such as Elvis with the punk beats of Green Day.  And with the unique addiction of a double bass causing bassist, Scott Owen, to stand a top of it before jumping wildly into the air causing screams from the crowd.  Current UK single, What’s On Your Radio?, has been placed mid set.  While a song that may be new to those in the UK the majority of the crowd know it well and sing the lyrics powerfully as they also dance like the maniacs they seem to be.

They retreat from the stage very briefly before running back on to play a 3 song encore.  The first is Prisoner of Society, a song which instils a new height of madness in the crowd.  The song also gives Owen a chance to show of his bass skills, giving a very dance worthy song.  The next song is a slow down, Wake Up is one that gives the crowd a chance to catch a bit of their breath, a brilliant song and the perfect place for it, especially considering the last song.  The last song is one called West End Riot.  Quite possibly the fastest of their set it is also the most insane for the crowd.  It’s their last chance to show what they’re made of.  It’s their last chance to scream for the band that they love.  With a finish of jamming and extending the song to it’s fullest, The Living End retreat from the stage to gather energy for their show in Nottingham the next day.

A tour which comprises in only 6 dates in the UK (including Reading and Leeds festivals), one can only pray for their next tour to be more wide spread – even if it is only so they can see them multiple times on the tour – because The Living End truly are a band you must see more than once in your life time.