Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
Pix by Sarah Gilpin Photography
Old ‘skool’ Australian pub rock ‘n’ roll was on display at the Kingscliff Beach Hotel in the Northern Rivers as they hosted the local rock band Eyesite and iconic headline rock band The Screaming Jets. Now, The Screaming Jets know how to put on an authentic, no-frills rock ‘n’ roll show. Make no mistake about it – it was a great night of different takes on classic and new Australian pub rock ‘n’ roll, delivered without pretence. And, as stated on Dave Gleeson’s t-shirt: “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll. But I Like it!”.
The drive down to the idyllic town of Kingscliff was easy. The town and beach looked beautiful in the afternoon light. The Kingscliff Beach Hotel is modern, the food and drinks were great, and the area set aside for a live music gig was airy and accessible. And as the sun went down, the stage and lights were made ready for a big night of Aussie music.
The supporting musicians tonight were the Kingscliff-based band Eyesite. They are a four-piece rock band comprising Harris Brooker (vocals, rhythm guitar), Louis Thompson (lead guitar), Jordan Green (bass) and Flynn Thompson (drums), and they gave the crowd a spunky tight performance. Their set was delivered with energy, with a range of sonic soundscapes from classic rock influences to post-grunge garage rock and pop-punk with a tinge of screamo in the vocals.
Eyesite took the opportunity to highlight songs from their new album Figure Eight, with tracks like Faraway, Bridges, the fantastic Sweat It Out and Figure Eight making the cut. They also played some older songs like Other Eye and In My Blood, and songs from their EP In My Head. Eyesite also played a cover of Grinspoon’s More Than You Are, and that gave a hint at the music that has influenced them.
The lights went down and The Screaming Jets walked out across the venue and onto the stage to Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back In Town. Early tech problems saw Dave Gleeson wait patiently in the darkness with his hands in the air momentarily, before the gig started with an explosion of energy as the opening chords of C’mon reverberated around the venue. It set the tone for the night: loud, proud and in your face rock music. The crowd sing-along started right from the first word and continued for what seemed like the rest of the night.
The Jets rolled into fan favourite Needle before taking a short breath, where Gleeson played around with the lyrics of What A Wonderful World and the vocal style of The Great Satchmo (Louis Armstrong) before he and the band launched into Eve Of Destruction. Pausing for a short rest, Gleeson commented, “it’s an upbeat song about the end of the world”. It looked like the voice of Gen X was going to have a lot to say tonight. I especially liked the interesting way of making the sign of the cross during the next song, the huge rock ballad Second Chance.
The Screaming Jets played a comprehensive set list, thrilling fans with a string of their classic hits and fan favourites. Gleeson and guitarist Jimi Hocking shared some high jinks during the set, including a kiss on the head. Gleeson seemed to be in a rather loose and easy-going mood, while drummer Cam McGlinchey was on fire with the drumming throughout the set being highly impressive. Paul Elliott (bass) kept in lock-step with the drums to hold it all together, and, as usual, Hocking was brilliant on the guitar. Special mention goes to Athol Maxwell-Davies, usually the guitar tech, who did a great job filling in for Scott Kingman.
The Screaming Jets were taking no prisoners. Dave Gleeson is the ultimate Australian frontman as he taunted the NSW crowd about the NRL Grand Final between Victoria and Queensland before singing Blue Sashes. Then, another short stop as he talked about the dangers of midday TV: “You know – stayin’ home – smoking cones and watching daytime TV with Dr Phil, Oprah” before launching into When I Go as he bounced around the stage. The Aussie pub rock blood and adrenaline still pumps through the band’s veins, especially Gleeson’s. He was in his element, and we hadn’t even got to his commentary on the news…
It was by now the mid-point of the set. The Jets delivered the crowd favourites with Sad Song and the wonderful melodic, melancholic rocker October Grey. There was advice about what real Scars are and that “missing a nail appointment is not a traumatic event”. Gleeson put it out there – what we are all thinking – we all have scars, but there’s no need to put them out there on social media, just get on with your life “and stop oversharing”. True! There was some singing practice and a what sort of crowd are you moment: singers or whistlers? There was only one whistler as Gleeson made a comment: “Mate, you’re a Tony Barber fan from back in the day”. There were references to Slim Dusty and declarations of “I love country!” as Cunnamulla was played. Gleeson pole danced with the microphone stand through the song, and it was these songs that were the set highlights.
By this point, the crowd was in full sing-along and dancing mode. The devoted crowd were loving every moment. Gleeson entertained with witty banter about social media influencers, especially one’s that fall to their death on mountains taking a selfie: the cleansing of the gene pool in action. The world going to hell and the Fucking Rich Cu#$s making it happen and the chant about the destruction of our planet and those in politics and technology who openly hate the planet, other people and are just greedy: Fucking Rich Cu$#s before saying – “wonder what the people in the caravan park across the road think?” and “how will they explain that to the kids?”.
Then, the huge hits started to roll out with Better and the wonderful Helping Hand. Then, the regulation set was over, and The Screaming Jets thanked the crowd and left the stage. But there was more: a three-song encore. Dave Gleeson came back out after a few minutes with his trusty acoustic guitar and the real news of the day: the subject of Keith and Nicole. “Well, Nicole is back on the market. And, Keith is back on the coke”. Anyway, it was funny. Then, the gig took a serious turn with the delivery of the marvellous Shivers.
Then, the band kicked into party mode with a cover of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues that was performed with class. Then, the set was closed out with a cover of Rockin’ in the Free World by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young. So, do The Screaming Jets love country and blues? It seems so. The entire Kingscliff Beach Hotel crowd was in full voice and having the time of their lives. I hope that the young gentleman next to me, celebrating his 18th birthday with The Screaming Jets, had a great night. He seemed over the moon as Dave Gleeson signed a set list for him and Jimi Hocking gave him a guitar pic. It was a long drive home, but worth it.
