Melbourne's Prince of Wales was looking worriedly empty last night at about 7.30, half an hour before Jet were due on stage for a free "secret" show - the first chance a live audience had to hear the new stuff.
No matter, some quick hustling of innocent passers by saw the Prince fill up to near capacity, which left Jet, who hit the stage just after 8, to try out their highly anticipated new album."Hi, we're Jet from Melbourne, Australia", front man Nic Cester announced as they clambered on stage, as if by force of habit. It had been almost two years since the band had performed in their hometown.
The crowd listened attentively to Jet's new material, politely clapping after each song, some cheering wildly; just happy they had made it in to see their heroes up close.
Their new album, 'Shine On', didn't immediately jump out at the crowd. The new songs reek of a desperate attempt to find a new sound, knowing a repeat of their debut album could spell the end of their career. Considering this, and the fact they were playing to an audience that didn't know the songs (even the new single, 'Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is' went largely unnoticed), the band pulled it off.
Drummer Cris Cester inexplicably took on lead vocals for two tracks, despite sounding almost exactly like his lead singer brother (can you just imagine the arguments they had?).
"We're going to play a bunch of new songs, then we'll take a break and play some stuff off 'Get Born'" Cester assured the crowd; an announcement that set the fear of seeing your idols play a set of songs you've never heard disappears in a puff of smoke.
It was their second set that set the crowd alight. The obvious songs, 'Look What You've Done', 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl', 'Get Me Outta Here', 'Cold Hard Bitch' and 'Rollover DJ' had an electric vibe that only a band with years of experience could achieve.
Jet's only other Australian performances are tonight (15/8) at the Forum in Melbourne, tomorrow night at the ARIA Hall Of Fame inductees ceremony, where they will perform Rose Tattoo's We Can't Be Beaten', after being hand picked by the Tatts themselves, followed by Thursday night (17/8) at Sydney's Enmore Theatre.
The band then head to the U.K. to play at:
August 26 - Reading Festival, Reading
August 27 - Leeds Festival, Leeds
November 1 - Carling Academy, Newcastle
November 3 - Barrowlands, Glasgow
November 4 - Academy, Manchester
November 5 - Carling Academy, Birmingham
November 7 - Brixton Academy, London
Their second album, 'Shine On' is out on October 3.
