The Living End is one of the most successful bands in Australia. The group started off with singer and songwriter Chris Cheney's fascination with the band Stray Cats. When they first started playing together, they called themselves the Runaway Boys after a song by Stray Cats. Cheney was introduced to Scott Owen by the two guys' older sisters during their high school years at Wheelers Hill Secondary College in Melbourne, Australia. Cheney convinced Owen to learn the stand-up bass, á la Stray Cats, and the group had begun.

They went through several drummers during their high school years, but are currently working with drummer Andy Strachan, who is now well-established in the group. The group's rockabilly sound was already growing in popularity by the time they finished high school and up on graduating The Living End was ready to start recording. They released several EPs over the next few years. Their self-titled debut album was released in 1998, and was their first recording to be released in the US. The album showcased the band's excellent song-writing ability, giving the group a credible standing among the artists of the ‘90s.

The band played and recorded on a strict schedule for over ten straight years. Band leader Cheney kept himself to an intense schedule, making sure he kept the music for the band crisp and new. From the day he started the band at the age of 17 in 1992 until 14 years later, in 2006, he barely stopped going. The band was his entire life, and then the end seemed to come. He had run out of juice and no longer desired to continue playing. For six months he spent time with his young daughter, whose life he had been missing out on for the past year and did very little with music. Until, one day, inspiration hit him once more. The group is once again going strong and has two albums solidly under their belt.