The Living End formed in 1994 after guitarist/singer Chris Cheney and bassist Scott Owen joined forces and invited drummer Joe Piripitzi on board. The band soon gained some recognition in 1995 after sending a demo tape and t-shirt to Billy Joe Armstrong and scored the support slot for the Australian leg of the Green Day tour. The same year, their first EP Hellbound was released but unfortunately slipped under the radar. Later in 1995 they went on to record It's For Your Own Good, their second EP (released in 1996), which gained loads of airplay on youth radio network Triple J. Their self-titled first album was released in 1998 and was a huge success, becoming the highest selling debut rock album in Australia's history - going five times platinum. Original drummer Piripitzi and his replacement Travis Dempsey had both left the band by 2000, in which second record Roll On was issued. Returning in 2003 with a new album MODERN ARTillery, and new drummer Andy Strachan, they managed to fit in some touring and hit the stage at Big Day Out, releasing a singles compilation From Here On In a year later. A few years down the track and several awards later, one of Australia's most prominent rock band circulated their fourth record State of Emergency in early 2006 debuting at #1 on the ARIA charts.