RedHook, The Living End, Jebediah, Dropkick Murphys, et Rise Against

In their teens, childhood friends Chris Cheney and Scott Owens got together to form a covers band called The Runaway Boys paying homage to their musical idols, Stray Cats and The Clash. Having gathered enough confidence in their ability, the boys began playing locally within the prominent Melbourne rockabilly scene. Soon the pair began writing original material inspired by the fifties rockabilly sounds and decided upon renaming the band The Living End. Cheney would assume lead vocals and guitar while Owens took to double bass. The line-up would then be completed by Joe Piripitzi on drums.

In 1995 the band recorded the demo track “Hurricanes” and later that year they sent a copy of the track along with a band t-shirt to Green Day frontman, Billie-Joe Armstrong. So impressed with the demo, the band were invited to support Green Day on their Australian leg of tour. Later that year The Living End would release their debut EP “Hellbound” where they fused 50’s rockabilly with British punk.

After the release of their second EP “It’s For Your Own Good” in 1995, Piripitzi was fired from the band for his lack of commitment to the band and his lifestyle choices. Travis Demsey would take his place as the band embarked on a yearlong nationwide tour. The band released the double A side “Second Solution/ Prisoner of Society” in August 1997 with the intention to sell on tour. The single soared to through the charts peaking at number four and certifying double platinum, breaking The Living End into the mainstream as the track stayed in the top 50 chart for a total of 47 weeks.

In 1998 the band signed to Modular Recordings to release their debut self-titled album later that year. The album clinched the number one spot in the ARIA charts becoming the second fastest selling rock single in Australian music history. Churning out six singles, the album also earned the trio two ARIA Music Awards in 1999 for Best Group and Breakthrough Artist Album.

With pressure to match the success of their debut album, the follow-up “Roll On” released in 2000 wasn’t as commercially successful but both the title track and “Pictures in the Mirror” made it into the top 20. Whilst on the road supporting the album in 2001, Cheney was involved in car accident which left him unable to play for two months. The following year Demsey left the band citing family commitments and was replaced by Andy Strachan.

In 2002 to test out their new material for their upcoming album whilst putting Strachan through his paces, the band started a side project performing under the name Longnecks as well as number of other aliases. The Living End released their third album “Modern ARTillery” in 2003. Over the next few years Longnecks and aliases would reappear allowing the band to road test new material for the next releases.

By the time they had released their fourth album in 2006, the band had been relentlessly touring, released a live DVD, greatest hits and accumulated four JACK awards along the way, leaving Cheney feeling burnt out and lacking inspiration. After taking a year break from the band, Cheney returned as they played the 2007 Great Escape Festival in Brighton, England.

In 2010 The Living End released their sixth studio album “The Ending Is Just the Beginning Repeating” which debuted at number three in the ARIA charts. The band continue playing shows across the globe spreading their definitive punkabilly sound.

The current line up of the Dropkicks Murphys as of 2014 consists of: Ken Casey - bass guitar, lead vocals, Matt Kelly - drums, bodhran and vocals, Al Barr - lead vocals, James Lynch - guitar and vocals, Tim Brennan - tin whistle, accordion, mandolin, bouzouki, keyboard, piano, vocals, and lead guitar, Jeff DaRosa - banjo, bouzouki, mandolin, guitar, keyboard, piano, harmonica, tin whistle and vocals.

The band went platinum with their song "I'm shipping up to Boston". This is one of the bands trademark song and has seen them reach great success.

In 2007 the band signed with Warner Bros. Records. After previously being signed to Hellcat Records while they were constantly touring.

The band has many influences such as: AC/DC, Stiff Little Fingers, Swinging Utters, The Ramones, The Clash and Sex Pistols, The Pogues and The Dubliners.

As of 2014 the Dropkick Murphys have released 8 albums, their most recent album "Signed and Sealed in Blood" gained positive reviews, Allmusic gave it 4 out of 5 stars. This album matched the score of their earlier album "The Meanest of Times" which contained "The State of Massachusetts" which has been named one of the 100 most played songs on U.S. modern rock radio in October 2007.

The band should stand as living proof to punk rock purists that commercial success is not, and has never been, the same thing as selling out. Yes, the band’s sound is far more accessible today than the visceral hardcore of their early years.

However, if they were to take a cursory listen to the lyrics of any random song of theirs, they would be shocked to find that they are still as intelligent, profound and straight up angry as they ever were and this even stretches to the bands biggest hits.

Take songs like “Help Is on the Way", “Savior”, "Make It Stop (September's Children)" and “Prayer Of The Refugee” for example. These are polarising songs about difficult, yet very topical subjects that don’t shy away from taking a defined stance.

However the combined Youtube hits for those videos are, astonishingly enough, around 86 Million. This is a band that manages to plug the It Gets Better project, PETA and Amnesty International while filling arenas in their home country and large theaters and concert halls around the world.

To have a fully-fledged rock band with a message as vital as theirs playing on such a large scale the world over is a blessing that we haven’t had since the days of The Clash. With a tour schedule like theirs, it’s only a matter of time before they play wherever you are, and there are few bands out their more likely to change your life than the one and only Rise Against.