Now that the world has finally righted itself after the pandemic it’s ironic that as we talk to Dave about the 30th Anniversary Tour of the album that started it all ‘All For One’ he’s in his final day of isolation after a bout of Covid. So here we are after much delay – The Screaming Jets are heading to a town or City near you to Tear it up! It’s gonna be huge but we’ll let Dave tell you all about that!
Mark: Dave, how are you Sir?
Dave: I’m good mate, just struggling with the technology. I’ve just been released from my isolation cell where I’ve been for the last seven days.
Mark: Really, it got you?
Dave: Yeah I had to blow out a couple of gigs with the Angels last week because of the damned Covid
Mark: The spicy cough strikes again.
Dave: Yeah (laughs) it was fortunately pretty easy for me I didn’t cop anything more than a bit of a bad cold.
Mark: Well you’ve had it now so that’s good and great it wasn’t too bad.
Dave: It was bound to happen.
Mark: Bound to happen, I’m a bit behind I’m still waiting to get the flu and Covid doesn’t want me either.
Dave: (laughs) Someone told me THC was a way to ward it off! So I kept having boosters!
Mark: (laughs) Obviously a doctor of some standing!
Dave: (laughs)
Mark: We get to see you a few times this year in the West which is fantastic. You’re here next week with The Angels, then later with the Red Hot Summer Tour where you do double duties with The Screaming Jets and The Angels and then again with The Screaming Jets on the postponed ‘All For One’ 30th Anniversary tour!
Dave: Yeah mate it’s unreal, apart from having the last week off I’ve been pretty well since the second week of January when the Angels got back on the road finishing off the Red Hot Summer from 2020 and then we rolled straight into the Dark Room Recharged Tour which is obviously to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of The Dark Room back in 1980. So everything’s been pushed back a bit and of course moving on to The Jets in a couple of weeks, so I can’t wait! It’s great to be back on the road.
Mark: And great to hear you back on the radio and see you on TV the other week as well for The Angels Documentary!
Dave: Yeah, look I have to say Narara ’83 – that was really the thing that ignited my love for The Angels – being a frontman and seeing Doc it was like “Wow, man this guy is possessed! He’s mad!” it was great. The thing I most took from Doc was the energy – you’ve got to have energy! You’ve got to get out there and really smash it out! It was great to see that Doco
Mark: Wonderful stuff, I loved it when he climbed the speakers! Crazy! And it’s always great to be reminded of that rich musical heritage! And wonderful that the band is still with us today!
Dave: Yeah.
Mark: And the 30th Anniversary of ‘All For One’ was last October so we are finally getting that back out on the road with the Perth date in September but the Tour kicking into life in July. It’s a wonderful reworking of the album I really enjoyed that
Dave: Thanks mate, we were stoked with how it turned out! To rerecord it as this band of brothers that we are now, even though we didn’t get to hang out and be silly in the studio, I kinda took that leaf out of John and Rick’s book – it’s a great way to celebrate the Anniversary of the album but it also brings in the newer members of the band like Scotty, Jimi and Cam into the project and makes it ours again. So it was really good to do it and then to have the team get behind it digitally and get it into the charts that was really great. The bummer was that we weren’t able to tour it immediately.
Mark: And we get to see you play the whole thing from start to finish. Are you having a little break at half time after ‘Shine On’ when we would flip over the vinyl?
Dave: No we’ll take a break after ‘The Only One’ and then we’ll come out and do a bunch of other songs and make it a full night of Rock!
Mark: Sounds fantastic! Something we’ve all been missing! You’re at The Charles on the 24th September and at the Port Beach Brewery in Fremantle the night before so fans get a double dose of The Jets in the West!
Dave: Oh mate I’ve missed the West! We actually went there and played the Grand Final, I donlt know how Maccas McGowan let us in for that one, but I miss West Australia – it’s one of those special places like Tasmania and North Queensland that we haven’t been able to get to in the last couple of years! But it’s all back on, I’m just so excited!
Mark: That makes two of us, a great Rocking weekend! I hope to get to both of those. Aside from the Tour you’re tearing up the radio too, I love that show and I hear it’s been picked up by a few more stations!
Dave: Yeah mate, it’s going out to bout 40 stations around the country now. Look it’s right in my wheelhouse Mark, I love talking about Rock. I’ve done a few stints where I’ve filled in for Breakfast and things like that, but then you have to do stuff like talk to The Lord Major about parking spaces and shopping centres, or what’s the current unemployment rate, I don’t know that stuff (laughs) It’s not my thing! So we just talk about Rock and to be interviewing all of these amazing artists that I’ve done over the last few months like Slash and Liam Gallagher and Bryan Adams, Gavin Rossdale, it’s a massive list! And of course I get to talk to my mates and heroes from here as well – Barnsey, Chris Cheney and Kav Temperley one of the great West Australian boys.. It’s just a great way to promote Australian Rock and Rock from around the world that has influenced me, and have a bit of a yarn about the music that I love. I’m just stoked there’s so much new stuff coming out now. Phil Jamieson has a new song, Chris Cheney has a new one out so it’s not like we’re playing all the old stuff there’s plenty of new stuff coming out as well!
Mark: Always great to see that mate, Rock will have its ups and downs but we’ll never let it die! You’re right some great new stuff and great local stuff too. Out of Covid 2022 is really shining!
Mark: I have to ask as someone who dabbles myself, what’s been your favourite interview so far?
Dave: Look, I could dead set talk to Liam Gallagher all day. He is a classic and he says it like he sees it! (laughs) There’s a lot of bleeping that goes out when we get it into the edit room but he’s unreal. I wasn’t a huge fan of Oasis, same as everyone I guess “They sound like The Beatles etc etc” but you can’t fluke the career those guys have had, and if there’s a better brother duel going on than Noel and Liam Gallagher then I’d like to see it! (laughs)
Mark: Sounds good and Slash is always cool too, interestingly I’m talking to Marc Canter this evening who was the historian of Guns ‘n’ Roses and documented those early days. But there’s no better interview than Dave Gleeson!
Dave: (laughs)
Mark: So any new music from the Jets, how are things coming along since we last spoke?
Dave: Yeah mate, we’re working on stuff at the moment, Cam our drummer went in a few months ago with Steve James and put down a lot of jams, and then Paul and Scotty have been meeting up over there at Scotty’s place in East Gippsland and putting some words and songs together. So we all can’t wait to get back on the road and start sharing ideas around when we’re in front of each other, it’s all well and good to send them by e-mail and stuff like that, but it’s getting in the same room and sitting round with guitars and nutting stuff out that’s the fun stuff. So I really cant wait to be doing that and then next year there will be a brand new Jets album! So we’re gonna get out there and do this tour and hopefully get a bit of money in the kitty to put towards the next album.
Mark: Sounds fantastic! A lot of people I know are hanging out for that. It’s been a while since ‘Chrome’ back in 2016. You must be just about ready to jump on that plane for The Angels?
Dave: Yes mate, I’m allowed to officially mingle from tomorrow which is when I jump on that plane to Queensland! So just in time!
Mark: I know a lot of people I know during lockdown have had time to listen to a lot of music – discovering new stuff and revisiting the old classics and I realised this morning we’d never asked you this question before! Going back into the studio yourself to create a bit of new magic what classic Aussie Rock album would you loved to have seen being made?
Dave: Rick tells this story and it always perks my ears us of when he saw Angus recording ‘Let there be Rock’ (Dave sings the opening lines) – he said he saw Angus recording it, he was doing all the stuff, he was on the floor walking himself round, and he said that right at the end of the recording smoke started pouring out of the back of Angus’ Marshall – he’d actually played so full on it caught it on fire! (laughs) So to think of that, every time he tells me I just imagine Angus no shirt, 19 years old, smoking, cranking that guitar – I just would have loved to have been there when AC/DC were recording any of their great albums.
Mark: That’s what Rock and Roll is all about and of course you’re coming over to the home of Bon Scott for a couple of dates in September – couldn’t be better!
Dave: Actually a friend of mine just gave me a book – Victor Marshall has just written a book about Fraternity and I was reading that in lockdown and it’s rally good. Obviously they never became a massive household name band but they certainly blazed a bit of a trail heading over to England and Europe and spending quite a bit of time over there touring and trying to build the name up. One o those great untold Rock stories!
Mark: And still a few guys around over here who remember those crazy days, I’ll have to check that out. Thanks for taking the time to have a quick chat today Dave, I’m not dressed for a video interview today just got the bush hat and some stubbies on today.
Dave: (laughs) No worries mate!
Mark: Take care and stay safe mate and see you in a week for The Angels. I’ll be down Ravo and at the Charles as well.
Dave: Oh I love Ravo!
Mark: Yeah that low ceiling is a thing of wonder! (laughs)
Dave: (laughs) Thank mate I’ll see you soon!
A few dates are missing off the above poster – we’ll switch it out soon. In the meantime – Check out ALL the dates HERE!
It’s selling fast though so be quick – some dates are already fully sold!