By MICHELLE HERBISON
RE-LEARNING all 90-odd songs seemed like a good idea at the time but The Living End’s ambitious plan last year proved a “real brain strain”.
Drummer Andy Strachan was still recovering from last year’s The Retrospective Tour when he spoke to the Independent in the lead-up to the band’s gig at this month’s Queenscliff Music Festival.
Over a series of seven-night residencies around the country, the group performed every track from each album since its 1998 beginnings – a particularly mean feat for Strachan who joined in time for album number three.
“It was a fairly ballsy thing to do,” he said. “We’ve probably got 14 tracks on a record and we may play two or three regularly.
“Singles stay in the live set for years but the album tracks … it was brutal,” Strachan laughed.
The band has since returned from a European tour playing festivals and supporting German punk rock band Die Toten Hosen, which translates as ‘the dead pants’, to 50,000-strong crowds.
Strachan described returning home to Barwon Heads after long stretches away on tour as “just like Christmas”.
“It’s such an amazing part of the world.”
These days with all three members scattered around the globe – front-man Chris Cheney in Los Angeles and bassist Scott Owen in Byron Bay – touring times were sporadic but intense, Strachan explained.
“We knuckle down and do a five week tour then go our separate ways. It’s kind of healthy.”
Strachan said the band was yet to begin writing material for a new record but the creative juices could start flowing at any moment.
“When we were recording (2008 album) White Noise we had a bit of a moment where Chris came out with this riff and it was like turning on the tap,” Strachan remembered.
“It was one of those amazing moments you can’t predict, it just happened, and, bang – there’s the start of a record that did really well.”
Strachan said he was looking forward to attending this year’s Qqueenscliff festival as a punter after the band’s headlining duties were complete.
“I remember it being really good fun. A stack of people I know go religiously every year, so I’m excited to hang out with a bunch of mates.”
