Two days after performing a last-minute free show at a packed-out Punters Club in Fitzroy, The Living End have announced that a brand-new single is on the way.

The new song, Alfie, will be released next Thursday (15 May). To celebrate the new single, the Aussie rockers will keep the intimate shows rolling with two pop-up shows in Melbourne and Sydney next week.

The Living End will burst back onto the scene with Alfie and perform at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel on Thursday, 15 May, and Sydney’s Metro Theatre on Friday, 16 May. Tickets to both shows will be available today at 12 pm AEST via the band’s website.

In a statement, singer and guitarist Chris Cheney revealed that Alfie is a back-to-basics tune that calls back to their early material while also being a “wake-up call” that laments the trials of the music industry in the post-pandemic stages of COVID-19.

He said, “I haven’t written a TLE song this simple since our first album.

“It’s a shot in the arm. It’s a homecoming and a rediscovery. It’s TLE embracing minimalism and plugging back in to the raw uplifting power of a three-chord rock n roll song; cause dammit they matter! Stripped, chopped and straight to the point.”

Cheney continued, “At its core, The Living End has always been somewhere between AC/DC, Little Richard and The Clash.

“Who is Alfie? Alfie is rock n roll. Alfie is the music Industry. Alfie is the roadies forced to get regular jobs after Covid crippled the local scene. Alfie is radio. Venues are closing their doors, radio doesn’t play enough local artists, touring is getting harder and harder. It all feels like it’s in a coma. Alfie is a wake-up call.”

You can pre-save Alfie here.

Last month, Cheney teamed up with Baby Animals for a surprising cover of the Motörhead classic, Ace Of Spades. Led by Suze DeMarchi’s commanding vocal, Cheney’s virtuosic guitar playing perfectly complements the new take on the song.

In recent months, The Living End have performed at the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix, Savannah In The Round, and the 2024 Good Things Festival. This month, they’re on the Red Hot Summer Tour line-up with ZZ Top and George Thorogood & The Destroyers.

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