The Screaming Jets continued their ‘Professional Misconduct’ Tour with three WA shows, championing their latest album as well as giving a chance for fans to celebrate & pay their respects to the bands fallen comrade and long-time friend, Paul Woseen. Night two saw the band hit North Fremantle and play to a well supported Port Beach Brewery, with the WA summer being a bit kinder than the previous night, where we all suffered and melted after a forty-five degree day.
Tonight’s support was supplied by a youthful but outstanding group of young gents, as Terminal 3 rocked the stage with a set littered with rock classics, all played with skill & style. They amazed the crowd not only with their mature performance but also with technical excellence, which would be the envy of many a local band. Terminal 3 certainly warmed the crowd up well, as they played hits like The Black Crowes ‘Too Hard to Handle’ and ZZ Top’s ‘Sharped Dress Man’, receiving a well deserved ovation as they left the stage.
With the tension building, the speakers bellowed out The Carpenters ‘Close to You’ as The Screaming Jets made their way to the outdoor stage; Jimi Hocking, Cam McGlinchey, Scott Kingman and Paul Elliott (bass) took their places as Dave Gleeson strode to the microphone before they harmonised the start of ‘Nothing to Lose’, the opener from their number one hit album ‘Professional Misconduct’. The set list was a perfect balance tonight as the band blended new and old – enough from ‘Professional Misconduct’ for us to respect the dedication & song writing genius of Woseen, as well as reach back through the archives to bring fond memories of years and tours gone by. ‘Shadows’ followed – on the album it’s a good solid Jets song… but live its a great Jets number!
I’ve said it before, but in Gleeson The Jets have one of the finest frontmen in this country… playful, naughty and full of energy and tonight was no exception, as the band tore into ‘Eve of Destruction’ much to the audiences glee before firing everyone up with ‘C’mon’ from debut album ‘All for One’. Drummer Cam McGlinchey got an early workout as the Jets fired headlong into ‘Needle’ at a frantic pace. This was a band on fire tonight, and extra edge from the previous night. The bluesy ‘Shine On’ gave guitarist Jimi Hocking time to flex his fingers… it’s a song I’ve come to lean towards as a favourite. All the while the frame of Scott Kingman towered over his peers stage right, gold top slung over his shoulder alongside the outstanding Paul Elliott taking bass duties. ‘Stop the World’ got the Port Beach crowd bouncing before we came to take a breath.
And what a huge breath it was as Dave Gleeson spoke emotionally about Pauly and how much he is missed, as well as the contribution he made to the band and album, dedicating the tour to him before leading the band into ‘Second Chance’ by saying, “We all want another ten minutes with someone we’ve lost… just one more laugh, one more beer…”. ‘Second Chance’ is one of the album highlights for me but tonight I saw & heard it in a completely different light – with band members visibly emotional, it hit home the power of this track and what it all meant to the guys up there. It was something I don’t think I have seen or felt before and something that will never leave me – it was an incredible show of strength just for the band to get through that song.
‘No Reason’ is another newbie with a catchy hook and chorus and fitted well in the set tonight, the last of the ‘Professional Misconduct’ tracks for the night, as we travelled back through the catalogue, spanning nearly thirty-five years. ‘Scar’, ‘Sad Song’ and the fabulous ‘October Grey’ all continued to lift the crowd before McGlinchey kicked off the start of ‘Better’ to huge applause. It never gets old and neither does that riff! A timeless classic. Hocking warned of naughty words before Gleeson explained all about ‘FRC’ and who his target for the title is right now… we leave it for you to guess which Sandiland’s he’s talking about! ‘Helping Hand’ is just another instant classic and one that received one of the biggest cheers of the night as the wild man continued to stick his tongue out and pull outlandish faces, as he had done all night, before they left stage left to a cheering crowd.
Encore time (we missed out the night before) and after band introductions, The Jets wound the night down with an emotional version of ‘Shivers’. A nice touch saw Gleeso walk off stage to congratulate the Terminal 3 boys before publicly praising them for their set, something I’m sure they won’t forget. But we weren’t to be left feeling down, as Neil Young’s ‘Rocking in the Free World’ gave The Screaming Jets a final chance to pump up every last one of us in the crowd, with Gleeson sharing vocal duties with Jimi Hocking. Wow! What a performance.
Having seen the band twelve or thirteen times now, I have to sit this up there with one of their best shows to date – powerful, playful but also with an emotional edge I hadn’t seen before… or was it the fact there will forever be a sixth member up there on stage with them, watching over them with a keen eye, making sure they keep doing what they do so well. I don’t know what the future holds for The Screaming Jets after the loss of Pauly and the pain of playing without him, but as a staple of Australian rock music I really do hope they find a way to continue to bring joy to the masses with their wonderful music!
With special thanks to Starr Special Events & Revolutions Per Minute for the media access.
Photos by Mark Diggins
GALLERY
The Screaming Jets
Terminal 3
