Citysearch Makes some White Noise with The Living End!

In an exclusive one-on-one with Citysearch, The Living End bassist Scott Owen talks about the band’s near-death experience and rebirth thanks to the new album White Noise.

The Living End at the 2008 ARIA Hall of Fame. L-R: Scott Owen, Chris Cheney, Andy Strachan

Editorial Review

Local lads The Living End, blasted the hell out of our airwaves with 1997's national hit song Prisoner of Society. Fans of '50s rock and rockabilly, Chris Cheney (vocals/guitar), Scott Owen (upright bass) and Travis Dempsey (drums) followed up with a self-titled debut album in 1998, and so began a near decade-long cycle of albums and touring, success and stress. Andy Strachan replaced Dempsey on drums in 2002, but by 2006 the band was physically and creatively exhausted, and on the verge of implosion. With new album White Noise due for release on 19 July and a national tour inked in the diary, Citysearch recently caught up with bassist Scott Owen to get the inside story …

Q: Making an album and going on the road seems an all-consuming event, how did you feel at the end of your last album/tour State of Emergency?
S: We were pretty burnt out by the end of the last tour, particularly Chris who even entertained thoughts of whether he'd had enough of it all together. We were looking at the prospect of finishing the tour and getting straight back into the rehearsal room and making new tunes for another album so that the cycle could start again, and the idea did get pretty daunting … we ended up having a big break from each other, from the band. When we did get back in the rehearsal room, all the excitement and enthusiasm came back and set us on the right track of making an album we're really proud of.

Q: During the band's hiatus, did you contemplate moving on?
S: That was a big slap across the face actually, thinking, 'wow, there really is a lifespan to this band'. But I think it really re-iterated how much this band means to us. The thought of losing it was such a daunting prospect, that it really cemented how much we appreciate it, like it and enjoy it.

Q: How did White Noise get started?
S: It sounds like a bit of a fairytale, but [after a few false starts] Chris came out with a couple of riffs for the first song on the album, How do We Know, and basically floored me and Andy! We were stunned by them, we loved them so much and the song came together really quickly and we went 'Woah, this is FUN!' It gave us all the confidence we needed to go on and start coming up with more stuff and we wanted to make sure that everything we settled on gave us as much excitement and as much of a buzz as that song did. So it was one single moment in time where it all turned around and all got ok after a lot of not knowing what was going to happen.

Q: You must have been relieved?
S: Absolutely. We spent a week in this tiny studio in Melbourne doing these rough'n'ready demos and at the end of that week there was a night when we were all out together and it was such an unbelievable feeling for the three of us to be out of the studio and looking at each other thinking 'we've just made some really, really, really good demos'. I remember having this feeling of 'wow, we've done something really good here, did that really happen?'

Q: Modern Artillery was described as a comeback from Roll On - does White Noise feel like the comeback to you?
S: It feels like a re-birth. I think the band's found a groove that we never used to have, and it's definitely added something.

Q: You recently played Johnny O'Keefe's Wild One at the ARIA Hall of Fame induction ceremony, what was that like?
S: We got a call from the ARIA people who organise the event and they asked us if we wanted to open the show with that song, and I'm so glad they did. We come from a background of playing '50s rock'n'roll and rockabilly and I would have been p***ed off if anyone else had of been asked to do it (he laughs) … it's amazing to see all these old guys and old artists get up there and accept their Hall of Fame trophy, and to hear them speak. The amount of wisdom and knowledge they've gathered over the years is truly great. It really does make you respect your elders!

Q: Did you have any thoughts about getting inducted yourself one day?
S: Well, I couldn't help but think about it to some degree. I just feel that if we do the right thing now - be ourselves and stay focused on what we do, obviously there is a chance to end up accepting a Hall of Fame award. But it made me realise that what you need to be focused on is now, and what you're doing now, and be the best you absolutely can.

Q: Are you looking forward to the tour?
S: Absolutely, we're so confident with these songs. They all sound so good live … they all feel so good to play live and we thrive on getting up and playing every night. We're hanging to get out there and get into the zone of playing every night!

Kelly Ford, Music Editor, July 2008

Click here for Citysearch's review of White Noise, plus get the Living End tour dates.