DOES the world need Jet relaunched and flying again in rock’n’roll’s stratosphere?
It was a question to be pondered before Tuesday night’s opening Get Re-born Tour show at Newcastle’s Wests NEX.
Rightly or wrongly the Melbourne garage rock four-piece achieved incredible success in 2003 when they released their debut album Get Born.
Backed by a mountain of hype and a magpie-like propensity to take some of classic rock’s greatest moments and re-polish them, Jet became an overnight success.
Are You Gonna Be My Girl, with it’s bouncing riff “borrowed” from Iggy Pop’s Lust For Life, topped the triple j Hottest 100 and was a global smash and Get Born went on to sell 3.5 million copies.
However, rightly or wrong Jet also experienced a steeper crash landing than the average band. By the end of their tether in 2012 they were frightfully uncool.
Since reforming in 2017 to support Bruce Springsteen on his Australian tour Jet have played a handful of shows, but the NEX gig marked the start of their first full-blown reunion tour on home soil.
To mark 15 years since Get Born, the band played the album in it’s entirely from start to finish, which created the bizarre situation of having their biggest hits Are You Gonna Be My Girl, Rollover DJ and Look What You’ve Done over four songs into a 23-track set.
The half-filled room still hadn’t found its groove, but that would come.
Jet proved that they’re no one-trick pony. People often forget just how deep Get Born ran with quality. Tracks like the Wild Horses-flavoured Move On showcased Nic and Chris Cester’s ability to harmonise, while Lazy Gun was truly epic.
The Cester brothers, much like Oasis’ Gallagher siblings, always gave Jet their edge. The pair traded vocals throughout.
Drummer Chris’ slight country twang, complementing the older Nic’s guttural rage.
Visually the two brothers also presented polar opposites. Nic wore a maroon corduroy jacket and sported a thick beard and long hair that possessed enough volume to star in a Pantene commercial. An obvious result of living in the fashionista hub of Milan.
Chris, always Jet’s resident madcap, was the most engaging member.
His short hair was coloured pink and green as he bashed away at his drum kit like he was clubbing baby seals.
Once Get Born was relived, Jet turned their attention to tracks from their less successful albums Shine On (2006) and Shaka Rock (2009).
Strangely the newer material gained a bigger reaction among younger members of the audience, who screamed along to She’s A Genius, Seventeen and Put Yer Money Where Your Mouth Is.
Sure, Jet are highly derivative, but they wear their influences proudly and remain one hell of a rock’n’roll band, full of energy and swagger. They have fuel to burn.
