Jet, The Checks, Capital CIty@ Metro CIty, Perth (1/6/2007)

Thu 7th Jun, 2007 in Gig Reviews

Opening for a band as large, and mainstream-friendly as Jet has to be a daunting task, but Perth’s Capital City gave it their all, and whether or not it did them much good in their early timeslot, they must have been happy with their performance. Opening with ‘50s-esque rocker Let’s Throw Our Love Away from recent album Bad Money, the band seemed as though the front half of Metro City’s large stage was made just for them. Sam Scherr was in fine form as the band’s frontman, stating that they were “in the heart of Perth’s gangland violence”, and asking the crowd how the Fremantle Dockers had gone in the AFL (for the record, they lost, somewhat disappointing Scherr), and the rhythm section of Chris Pierucci and Jake Snell kept the beats stomping, leaving Kate Mills to assist Scherr in keeping the guitar up front, and the set a rousing success. Tracks like Come On and Work for the Lord (which sounds like a bluesy take on Ween’s Waving my Dick in the Wind), and the castrated-to-only-five-minutes performance of the droning blues rocker I Felt the Light (nearing 13 minutes on the record, and nearing a legendary 20 minutes at their own shows) went down well to a crowd that had paid for headliners, but the highlight of their set was Scherr’s smooth introduction to a certain song as “we’re not Jet: we’re slightly less accessible.” You won’t hear them on commercial radio anytime soon, but Capital City have the chops to pull it off on the big stage, if only they could pull the crowd.

Previously from New Zealand and now based in London, The Checks were a smart choice for the tour support, sharing the same 1960s sound as Jet, but facing the rock side far more than Jet. With their debut record ready for release in August, the Checks had a tough job on the night. They faced a crowd you’d expect to only want to see Jet (as larger shows go, it’s hard for support bands to get a look-in with a headliner-dedicated audience), and without the hometown advantage Capital City had. More than that, they haven’t got an album out yet; merely an EP and a single. It’s a tough sell, but the band certainly played a solid set, made a few new fans, and there’s no doubt that they fit into the bill perfectly, between the “less accessible Jet” and, well, Jet.

Jet. Well, what can you say that you couldn’t say before you saw tonight’s show? Very little. Essentially, the band had a great mix, were loud as hell, dusted off every rock move in the book, and played all their hits. Opening with some of their rock numbers and with drummer Chris Cester demonstrated his vocals while behind the kit on Holiday, the band were in fine form. Between the mood setting backdrop change for the acoustic set, starting with Look What You’ve Done, the band played for nearly 75 minutes, dropping in almost every song from their two records including Take it or Leave it, first released on debut EP Dirty Sweet in 2002, right through to key tracks from last year’s Shine On, a record that proved that the band are far more adept at writing the Beatles-esque ballads than the balls-out-rockers that they have become known for.

The problem, however, lies with the fact that Jet are a well-oiled machine, knowing their game, and performing their songs to perfection (with the aid of a live keyboardist). You expect them to play to perfection because, to be honest, their songs aren’t that complex. In fact, strangely, there wasn’t much energy coming from the floor of Metro City, with most fans you’d expect to be die-hard, simply standing quite still for a large portion of the show. That said, the proof that Jet are a solid live act was evident at 12.15am, as the front-of-house speakers were pushed just a little too far and went silent during Rollover DJ. Instead of leaving the stage, the band seemed to relish this opportunity, jamming fluidly for the next few minutes as no doubt many techies explored and sorted the problem. With only the onstage sound to fill a 1900 capacity venue, Jet succeeded surprisingly well, with the crowd responding the most they had all night. The speakers came back on, the band said goodbye, and the crowd left happy. Sure, Jet might not be the most challenging band around, and their music can certainly be derivative, but for a few scant minutes that night at Metro City, Jet didn’t just play on that stage. They owned it.