Live Review: The Screaming Jets, Tracer

Tonight the Factory Theatre played host to the old school, but it was refreshing to be treated to the next generation in Australian rock.

Tracer, a hard-rocking three-piece from Adelaide, are the real deal: tight, hard, pumping rock. There’s really nothing not to like about this band. The singer, Michael Brown, has the chops of a young Chris Cornell, which is no mean feat. Bassist Jett Heysen-Hicks is frenetic and skilled on the bass whilst drummer Andre Wise lays a solid foundation for the driving riffs.

The crowd was visibly impressed with the Adelaideans as they slowly filled the spaces in the venue to check out a band that you feel has to be watched live to be appreciated. No gimmicks, no ego and no fluff. These guys are well worth checking out.

It has been a turbulent 25 years, so it’s impressive that The Screaming Jets are still around. Lead singer/radio personality, Dave Gleeson has a reputation for partying a little too hard and he admits to “running his mouth” in the past. Together with bassist, Paul Woseen, Gleeson is the core of the Jets, while Jimi ‘The Human’ Hocking reunites with the band along with Scott Kingman on guitar and Mickl Sayers on the kit.

This is mostly a greatest hits set, which is what the crowd are after, but it’s the covers played tonight that impressed. Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues is an old favourite of the band, whilst renditions of Slim Dusty’s Cunnamulla Fella and the hard-rocking AC/DC song Ain’t No Fun were welcome additions to the set. Crowd participation was mandatory in songs like Helping Hand, C’mon and of course the song that broke them, Better.

It’s an enjoyable blast from the past to hear the Jets perform on stage, where they’re at their best. Whether or not they have anything else to offer is another question, but on this night, it’s just about the rock.