The Living End

Never underestimate the power of the rockabilly-influenced Australian punk power trio The Living End. Cofounded by vocalist/guitarist Chris Cheney and double bassist Scott Owen—a pair of childhood friends who cut their teeth playing covers of songs by The Stray Cats and The Clash—the band earned their first big break opening Green Day’s 1995 Australian tour. The group’s first major single, the thrashing “Prisoner of Society”, arrived in 1998 and became a massive hit in Australia. A string of other successes followed (highlighted by 2001’s pogo-punk rallying cry “Roll On” and 2003’s melodic hard-rock anthem “Who’s Gonna Save Us”) as did an opportunity to open for AC/DC in 2001. That versatility helped propel The Living End to the upper reaches of the Australian charts in 2006 with State of Emergency, which drew on mod and swinging pop-punk inspirations, and kept the band flying high through albums such as 2018's Wunderbar.