As a girl growing up in Newcastle, the Screaming Jets are an integral part of my music DNA. An underage show at the Cambridge was one of my earliest concert experiences without my parents, and like so many Novacastrians, I’ll never forget the show after the ticker-tape parade celebrating the Knights’ first grand final victory. I must have seen more than 20 Screaming Jets shows at pubs and clubs in my late teens and early 20s, so I was pretty excited to break the drought with a show at The Entrance Leagues on Saturday night.
Despite living on the Coast for the last decade, I’d never actually been to The Entrance Leagues for a gig. The venue was one of those ones that took me back to the early 90s though. There were no frills about it, and the wind was blowing just the right way from the beer garden to add the smoky ambience ‘90s shows always had. We had to stand, something I haven’t done at a gig in years, but I couldn’t imagine watching a show like this sitting down.
Local band The Radics kicked off the night with a fun set that set the evening’s tone. I heard a lot of ‘90s influences in their music, a little Matchbox Twenty, a little Third Eye Blind, a little Goo Goo Dolls. Their brand of pleasing pop-rock with a little bit of edge went down a treat with me, largely due to the charisma of frontman Blake Wares. An energetic cover of INXS’ “New Sensation” and an epic take on “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)” won over the crowd.
After The Radics it was time for Massive to take the stage. These guys seemed like they’d stepped right out of the 80s, with big hair and big, ballsy rock music. It was turned up to 11 from start to finish, and the crowd responded enthusiastically. Personally I thought they were a little too much, but my husband rushed to merch stand to pick up their CD after the set. I will concede that they were the perfect warm-up for the Jets though.
With the audience feeling amped up, the Screaming Jets were always going to have an easy job. This crowd was ready to rock, and this classic Aussie act obliged. Before I get into the nitty gritty, I’d be remiss if I didn’t comment on the poor sound quality on the night. I’d been slightly put off during the support acts, but figured it might right itself when the main act rolled around. A band like the Screaming Jets really needs good sound. There’s a place for fuzz and distortion in the rock and roll world, but take it too far and it becomes painful to hear. It was a good thing I knew all the words to many of these songs, because otherwise I would have had no idea what Dave Gleeson was singing.
The Jets delivered though, despite bearing little resemblance to the band I saw decades ago. Dave Gleeson out front and bassist Paul Woseen were the only ones I remembered. However, the new guns have been schooled in these songs and, sound issues aside, the band rocked just as hard as they did all those years ago. Dave Gleeson is still one of the most exciting performers I’ve ever seen on a stage. While I enjoyed him fronting The Angels, hearing him sing these songs feels right. Age has not wearied any of these guys, and hearing them play songs like “Healing Hand,” “C’mon,” and the always explosive “Better” took me back to my youth.
Things weren’t quite the same as they were in the ‘90s though. Trying to look around people’s smartphones as they snapped photos of the show got old really fast. Back in the day we were far too caught up in the music to do that. Back in the day, I was also proud of typically being the only girl in the centre of a very raucous front row. The crowd were still enthusiastic, but they didn’t go nearly as hard as they did all those years ago. I’ve mellowed with them though. I never would have dreamed of being a few feet back from the stage in the 90s. And when my husband alerted me to the time, during the encore, I never would have agreed that it was getting late and left just before the end. Perhaps if the sound quality was better I would have put up more of a fight, but I was happy to hear some of “Rocking in the Free World” in the foyer while my husband collected his umbrella. I insisted I’d keep my husband company on the way home, but I think I was snoozing before we made it out of the car park.
I certainly don’t have the staying power that I once did, but thankfully the Screaming Jets do. I shouldn’t leave it so long before I catch them again, but I’ll be praying for a better sound tech next time we cross paths.
Image source: own photos