West End Riot
| "West End Riot" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Westendriot.jpg | ||||
| Single by The Living End | ||||
| from the album The Living End | ||||
| Released | 26 July 1999 | |||
| Format | CD single | |||
| Recorded | 1998 | |||
| Genre | Punk rock, punkabilly | |||
| Length | 3:54 | |||
| Label | Modular, EMI | |||
| Writer(s) | Chris Cheney[1] | |||
| Producer(s) | Lindsay Gravina | |||
| The Living End singles chronology | ||||
|
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"West End Riot" was the fourth single taken from Australian rock group, The Living End's debut self-titled album. It was released in July 1999,[2] but did not reach the top 50 – although it was popular with listeners of national radio station, Triple J, appearing at No 48 on their Hottest 100 poll for that year.[3]
The song title and lyrics refer two boys who are born and raised in two different areas, who play together in the streets with toy guns, but who grow up to live very different lives, with their childhood fun being nothing more than a memory. The song is based on the West and East sides of Melbourne, even though in later years the feud has died down.
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I was listening to a lot of the Jam at this point. It was about kids knocking around together and how their lives part as they get older – and never the twain shall meet again. My mum and dad were both from that area [the industrial west]. Dad’s family was very poor and he told me stories about his dad sitting on the steps crying during the Depression when all the men would come home from work, because he didn’t have a job. Maybe that stuff gets into you. I always hated the idea of some people looking down on other people.
— Chris Cheney, 2012[4]
The video for the song was directed by Don Letts, (who also directed a number of The Clash's videos). It was filmed in London whilst the band was touring the UK.[5]
A crowd favourite, it is often played at the end of a show, most notably at Festival Hall in 2006.
The song appears in the opening film clip for the PlayStation 2 video game World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002.[6]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "West End Riot" | Chris Cheney[1] | 3:54 |
| 2. | "Living in Sin" | Cheney[7] | 3:48 |
| 3. | "Train Kept A-Rollin'" (live) | Myron 'Tiny' Bradshaw, Howard Kay, Lois Mann[8] | 3:41 |
| 4. | "West End Riot" (live) | Cheney | 4:29 |
Charts
| Charts (1998) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Triple J Hottest 100 | 48[3] |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | July 1999 | Modular Recordings | CD | MODCS005 |
| EMI | 7243 8 87265 2 8 |
Personnel
- Band members
- Chris Cheney – vocals, guitar
- Travis Demsey – drums, backing vocals
- Scott Owen – double bass, backing vocals
- Recording process
- Producer – Lindsay Gravina
- Engineer – Lindsay Gravina
- Assistant engineer – Matt Voight
- Mastering – Stephen Marcussen at Precision Mastering
- Mixing – Jerry Finn
- Assistant mixer – Mark and Tony
- Editing (digital) – Don C. Tyler
- Studios – Sing Sing Studios, Melbourne
- Mixing studios – Conway Studios, Los Angeles
- Art works
- Cover art – Craig Preston
References
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