Jet at the Bowery Ballroom

Australian rock band Jet formed in 2001 and made a big splash internationally with the song "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" in 2003. The song then had an extended life thanks to licensing in commercials and film scores. The band remained popular in its home country until the band disbanded in 2012, but internationally never replicated the success of its first single and its accompanying album, Get Born.

Jet’s line-up of Nic Cester (vocals, rhythm guitar, piano), his brother Chris Cester (drums, vocals), Cameron Muncey (lead guitar and vocals), and Mark Wilson (bass guitar) reunited from 2016 to 2019 and then again beginning in 2023. Relying on its catalog only all that time, the band did not record any new music until 2024. Jet released “Hurry Hurry,” its first new song in 15 years, earlier this year digitally and then physically on the band’s tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of Get Born. The song is said to be in advance of a new studio album, to be released in 2025.

Jet’s anniversary tour took the band through Australia and the United Kingdom earlier this year and is now in the United States. The stateside leg started with two sold-out nights at the Bowery Ballroom, where the band performed two decades ago. These were the band’s first stateside performances in 14 years. Pete Marin would be substituting for Chris Cester on drums, and long-time touring member Louis Macklin would be on keyboards. The quintet was set to perform Get Born in its entirety, along with the new song and several cuts from Jet's two later albums.

Keeping all things Oz, Jet came onstage to the recorded sounds of “Love Is,” a song by an Australian band from the 1970s, the Masters Apprentices, piped through the public address system. The band started rocking with a quick succession of “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is”, “She's a Genius” and “Black Hearts (On Fire).” For the American debut of “Hurry Hurry,” Jet brought out Davey Lane, the vocalist and lead guitarist of Australian bands You Am I, the Pictures and the Wrights.

Nic announced that 20 years ago, Jet released an album that forever would change the lives of the musicians on stage. The band then played the album front to back. "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" was the second song of this set, and members of the audience lifted their phones to record the performance. Nic had already proved that he was in excellent voice, yet surprisingly, he turned the microphone to the excited fans and encouraged them to sing the first verse for him.

The musicianship was tight throughout the set. Cameron Muncey also sang lead well on his songs towards the end of the album set. For those in the audience who wanted to relive the album the way they remembered it, the band did a good job of adding live energy to the original arrangements.

The Get Born set ended with the sensitive album closer, “Timothy,” a song dedicated to Muncey’s deceased brother, which Jet rarely played live before this tour. After closing the Get Born set, Nic performed solo a stark and tender acoustic interpretation of the title track of Jet’s second album, Shine On. The band turned back on the energy for two more vintage songs, “Seventeen” and “Rip It Up,” and the Jet finally landed.

Get Born featured several solid rock and roll tracks, but the 13-song album was not start-to-finish what would become a classic rock album. As such, Jet’s live performance hit a few hot spots and a series of recurring lulls. The result was that the band played a decent set of pub rock songs, but after launching off the landing strip, the jet never soared high enough to pierce the sky.

Typically, album anniversary shows are throwbacks that leave little promise for the future of a band. Such was the case here. If Jet is to become viable in the current music scene, the band has the ominous task of getting past its landmark, defining Get Born album and record fresh music. Get Busy, guys.

Setlist

1. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
2. She's a Genius
3. Black Hearts (On Fire)
4. Hurry Hurry (with Davey Lane)

Get Born

1. Last Chance
2. Are You Gonna Be My Girl
3. Rollover D.J.
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. Take It or Leave It
11. Come Around Again
12. Lazy Gun
13. Timothy

Encore

1. Shine On (Nic Cester solo, acoustic)
2. Seventeen
3. Rip It Up

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The Manhattan Beat reports on New York City's live music circuit. All articles are written by Everynight Charley Crespo. All photographs are taken by Everynight Charley Crespo, except when noted otherwise.

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