LIVE: JET – Perth, 7 June, 2018

LIVE: JET – Perth, 7 June, 2018
Metropolis City, Perth, Western Australia
Review & photography by Damien Crocker

Hailing from Hobart, A. Swayze & the Ghosts opened on this cold and wintry Perth night. No slow build, this energetic four piece flew straight into their garage rock/punk for the steadily increasing crowd. Andrew Swayze takes on the front man role with gusto, manically dancing around the stage and engaging with the audience, providing a focal point for the band, backed by a solid chorus of guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Despite a lively show they struggled to fully get the subdued audience on board their offbeat, in your face performance.

 

The Metro City floor had filled by the time Jet hit the stage, with punters ready to see the headliners play their 2003 debut album Get Born in its entirety.

15 years after its release it’s easy to forget how big this album was. Recorded at Hollywood’s Sunset Studios, the home of such recordings as the Beach Boys Pet Sounds and Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street, the album had quite a pedigree and it managed to live up to this, topping the Australian charts and selling over 6.5 million copies globally, launching the Victorian band across Australia and the world.

From the first notes of album opener Last Chance, it was clear that Jet had not lost anything during their almost five year hiatus, getting the now full crowd going from the outset.

Not missing a beat, they built on the momentum and launched straight into their biggest hit, Are You Gonna Be My Girl, a song that you couldn’t escape in 2003/04 when it ruled the airwaves, and the crowd sing along showing they haven’t forgotten it.

The hits continued with Rollover DJ, followed by Nic Cester getting up close and personal with the audience for the downbeat Look What You’ve Done, sitting front of stage and sharing how the song was written while sitting on the toilet.

Four tracks in you are reminded just how many successful singles Jet had off this album, and it was reflected in the reaction of the audience.

Following Get What You Need, the acoustic guitars came out as Nic Cester, complete with a unique purple/blue hairstyle, came out from behind his drums to sing Move On, with bass player Mark Wilson joining in on harmonica.

Vocal duties were again swapped with guitarist Cameron Muncey taking over for the meandering ballad Radio Song.

Dialing things back up a notch, Jet blasted out yet another big single with the AC/DC-esque Cold Hard Bitch bringing the crowd back to life. Songs like this really showcase Nic Cester’s vocal strength and he certainly hadn’t lost anything in his scream since this album was first recorded.

One of the challenges of playing an album in full is relying on the flow of the album to drive the show, rather than being able to cherry pick and build the set list from scratch. While the tracks later in the album may have lost some of the crowd, there were clearly others who’ve had Get Born on heavy rotation, singing along with every word.

The album segment of the night was rounded out with Come Around Again (“one of the first songs we ever wrote together”), Take It Or Leave it, Lazy Gun and closing track Timothy, a song that they had never played live until this tour.

With Get Born done, Jet were free to launch into highlights from the rest of their catalogue, including She’s A Genius, Seventeen, Walk (featuring the Cester brothers sharing vocal duties), Black Hearts (On Fire) and Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

In true rock fashion, the band said good night prematurely, leaving the crowd hanging for more.

For the encore, Nic came out and shared a story about his brief time living in Perth at the Northbridge YHA backpackers when he was 18, something he worked into the lyrics as he delivered a strong, solo rendition of Shine On with an acoustic guitar.

Soulful moment done, Rip It Up delivered a final dose of the high energy rock and big riffs that have made them so successful.

Jet are a slick outfit who know what they are doing and do it well. There are a lot of very clear influences in their sound, but they manage to bring them all together with a groove that is familiar, yet clearly theirs. Seasoned performers who know how to work the crowd and put on a show, the retro inspired sound of Get Born still packs a punch in 2018 and avoids any feeling of being dated 15 years after its release.

1. Last Chance
2. Are You Gonna Be my Girl
3. Rollover DJ
4. Look What You’ve Done
5. Get What you Need
6. Move On
7. Radio Song
8. Get Me Outta Here
9. Cold Hard Bitch
10. Come Around Again
11. Take It or Leave It
12. Lazy Gun
13. Timothy
14. She’s a Genius
15. Seventeen
16. Walk
17. Black Hearts (On Fire)
18. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
19. Shine On
20. Rip It Up

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries