Born out of Newcastle, The Screaming Jets have been an enduring rock force in the Australian music landscape for over 3 decades. In 1990 these five blokes from Newcastle took the Aussie music scene by the scruff of the neck and gave a red-hot shake. Before they had even signed their first record deal, The Screaming Jets had already clocked up more than 200 live shows, won the ‘Triple J Battle Of The Bands’ competition and established themselves as an onstage, no holds barred, powerhouse of Aussie rock n roll.
At the time the hard rock UK music bible ‘Kerrang’ described enigmatic front man Dave Gleeson as “a tattooed madman, hell on heels, he leaps around the stage like an epileptic in a minefield: a real horror show cross between Alex from Clockwork Orange and, in part, Mike Patton”. In 1990 the Jets signed to rooArt, the internationally focused Australian label created by INXS manager Chris Murphy and released their debut album ‘All For One’, which peaked at #2 on the Australian ARIA Charts. It was the band’s second single from that album, ‘Better’ that was the song that introduced the band to the world, and saw The Screaming Jets embark on their first world tour – to Europe, UK, USA and Canada.
“For a bloke from Cardiff, who’d spent a few years touring round Australia, to find himself on the other side of the world sharing the stage with the likes of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, INXS, and yes, even a band room with Spinal Tap was something beyond my wildest imagination” says Dave Gleeson.
Since then the band have kept their peddle to the metal, releasing 9 studio albums (4 of them Top 5 on the Australian ARIA Charts), scoring multiple gold and platinum records & notching up literally thousands of gig and touring miles under their belt.
The Screaming Jets radio history delivers a long line of high rotation hits to the airwaves, including ‘Helping Hand’, ‘C’Mon’ and the Boys Next Door cover ‘Shivers’. Their hit song ‘Better’ was crowned by Triple M Sydney as the most played single by an Australian artist in its 37-year history, having been played over 10,000 times on Triple M since its release.
In October 2021 the band celebrated the 30th Anniversary of their ground-breaking debut album, by releasing a re-recorded version of ‘All For One’. Proving they are just as much a force to be reckoned with now as they were when they first kicked off back in Newcastle in 1990 – the album debuted at No 4 on the National ARIA Charts and No 1 on the Vinyl Chart. The Top 5 chart re-entry is just one place behind the album’s No 3 debut 26 years ago!
Affectionately known as Australia's 'Last Great Pub Rock Band', the Jets live show never disappoints, and as a result they have built a devoted, die-hard live fan base across Australia and the world.
From their humble beginnings in Newcastle, New South Wales in 1989, their 30 plus years in the Oz music biz has not slowed down The Screaming Jets and their hunger to make great rock music and entertain their fans.
“They have left an incredible imprint on the sands of Australian rock history and long may they continue to produce their brand of music for years to come. The Screaming Jets are quite possibly the finest rock band ever to come out of Australia’. Heavy Magazine. Oct 2021