An evening saturated in nostalgia, brimming in rock & roll bravado, and a crowd baying to jive the night away with their guitar-slingin', piano-tinklin', drum-bangin' heroes, Jet took over Metropolis Fremantle (17 May) in a rockin' scene better than any New York-Dublin R-rated portal could wish for.
Whether you were still waiting to be delivered by a stork, wearing diapers, munching down your cereal watching cartoons, or just discovering your parents' or older siblings' record collection, it's hard to quantify just how massive Jet were in the early-mid 2000s, even if it was only for a hot New York minute.Speaking of that city, following in the wake of The Strokes and Interpol's late '90s angular post-punk, garage-rock revival, Jet – led by frontman Nic Cester alongside his brother Chris (drums), Cameron Muncey (lead guitar) and Mark Wilson (bass) – helped make rock & roll sexy again (cue 'Rollerover DJ').
After road-trippin' mostly around the east-coast last year, the Aussie rockers have extended the 20th anniversary celebrations of their 2003 debut album 'Get Born' with a largely regional run of live dates that stretches into early June.
Image © Gareth Bryant
When 'Get Born' landed in 2003, it genuinely shifted the local sonic soundscape (remember when DJs performed from elevated podiums and '80s pub-rock tribute acts cornered the market!?). Jet were infused with the spirit of The Beatles and Stones birthing their own swagger (black leather jackets will never fade into obscurity); and here was a collection of songs that were superbly constructed and sublimely written, almost appearing from the heavens.
For any music head with a love of history, 'Get Born' features the right mix of sing-along hits, deeper cuts and a smattering B-sides any emerging indie band (then and today) would battle to call their own.
Even the venue was a throwback of sorts to the dingy, grungy environment of the 2000s, with a purple, hazy cloud or two – and I'm not referencing the Fremantle Dockers – infusing the right sentiment for the evening.
One of the few bands still on my bucket list to see live (looking sideways at you Radiohead), somehow last night was my first irl experience with Jet (aside from a festival set or two that have long since faded from my denim-cladded memory. . . maybe Big Day Out circa 2010), and boy was it cool to be among such a vocal and passionate crowd, some of who had most likely waited almost a generation to see Jet in the flesh if they were absent at their 2018 Perth gig.
After missing the start of the show (thanks to a pre-9pm start), which judging by the Torquay set list (thank you setlist.fm) from the previous weekend most likely consisted of 'Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is', 'She's A Genius' and 'Black Hearts (On Fire)', and greeted by a packed band room, the adult beverages were flowing freely with liberal amounts of hip swaying, fist pumping and zealous crowd singing by the time 'Last Chance' began bouncing off the walls.
The remainder of the show faithfully recreated the 'Get Born' track listing, which was impressive considering 'Are You Gunna Be My Girl' and 'Rollover DJ' land so early in the record (and most likely made a decent argument to keep for later in the set).
Punters didn't seem to mind either with many friend groups arm-in-arm for both bangers (while you could tell a small percentage of those attending had only come for those two hits as access to the packed dance floor eased somewhat; or they had babysitters to pay. . . it was a genuine mix of grey beards and the TikTok generation in attendance).
Image © Gareth Bryant
'Look What You've Done' – a song that easily could find a home in the Lennon-McCartney-Harrison canon – had a beautiful sing-along, the 'fool of everyone' lyric easily heard above Nic's vocals. 'Get What You Need' remains a rollicking, tambourine-soaked bop with its rich organ tones melded to a riff that is quintessential rock & roll.
While 'Move On' showcases a 'Horses' Rolling Stones vibe, and remains the ultimate break-up song for any wailing heart to start beating again; the same can almost be typed about 'Radio Song' – a track to prickle the skin even of the most narcissistic personality.
By the time 'Get Me Outta Here' arrives, the swagger is back onstage as well as the room at large before 'Cold Hard Bitch' (which could have been written by The Who's Pete Townshend; are you getting my drift re: the songwriting talents of this band?) receives a monster response, the young, yet extremely tall, lad behind me literally launching off my shoulders before Nic could exhale: "Gotta leave town, got another appointment." It was a beautiful moment even with the back of my shirt getting a beer bath!
The tail end of 'Get Born' is mostly the territory of Jet diehards, but the songs aren't any less significant especially 'Come Around Again' and 'Timothy' that are both Nashville-flavoured alt. country at its finest.
The band then departed, leaving Nic alone onstage aside from his amplified acoustic guitar to serenade the loved-up crowd for the first song of the encore, the title track from their 2006 album 'Shine On'. French-kiss perfection Nic!
The remainder of the band, including touring member Louis Macklin (keys, percussion), returned to the stage to rip into 'Hurry Hurry' – also prompting the first crowd surfers of the evening – the band's first new song in 15 years (only released on limited edition vinyl) and a taste of an album the band are working towards releasing next year (squeal!), before signing off with 'Seventeen' from 'Shaka Rock' and 'Shine On' cuts 'Bring It On Back' and 'Rip It Up'.
Image © Gareth Bryant
By set's end, the room was akin to a raucous Division Two UK football crowd celebrating promotion; clapping hands held aloft in noisy celebration, with punters literally dripping in sentimental vibes as they piled out of the venue onto the South Terrace strip, the unseasonably warm ocean air a vibrant cocktail lingering like a cosy hug from your besties.
