As a girl growing up in Newcastle, the Screaming Jets are an integral part of my music DNA. An underage show at the Cambridge was one of my earliest concert experiences without my parents, and like so many Novacastrians, I’ll never forget the show after the ticker-tape parade celebrating the Knights’ first grand final victory. I must have seen more than 20 Screaming Jets shows at pubs and clubs in my late teens and early 20s, so I was pretty excited to break the drought with a show at The Entrance Leagues on Saturday night.
Despite living on the Coast for the last decade, I’d never actually been to The Entrance Leagues for a gig. The venue was one of those ones that took me back to the early 90s though. There were no frills about it, and the wind was blowing just the right way from the beer garden to add the smoky ambience ‘90s shows always had. We had to stand, something I haven’t done at a gig in years, but I couldn’t imagine watching a show like this sitting down.
Local band The Radics kicked off the night with a fun set that set the evening’s tone. I heard a lot of ‘90s influences in their music, a little Matchbox Twenty, a little Third Eye Blind, a little Goo Goo Dolls. Their brand of pleasing pop-rock with a little bit of edge went down a treat with me, largely due to the charisma of frontman Blake Wares. An energetic cover of INXS’ “New Sensation” and an epic take on “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)” won over the crowd.
After The Radics it was time for Massive to take the stage. These guys seemed like they’d stepped right out of the 80s, with big hair and big, ballsy rock music. It was turned up to 11 from start to finish, and the crowd responded enthusiastically. Personally I thought they were a little too much, but my husband rushed to merch stand to pick up their CD after the set. I will concede that they were the perfect warm-up for the Jets though.
With the audience feeling amped up, the Screaming Jets were always going to have an easy job. This crowd was ready to rock, and this classic Aussie act obliged. Before I get into the nitty gritty, I’d be remiss if I didn’t comment on the poor sound quality on the night. I’d been slightly put off during the support acts, but figured it might right itself when the main act rolled around. A band like the Screaming Jets really needs good sound. There’s a place for fuzz and distortion in the rock and roll world, but take it too far and it becomes painful to hear. It was a good thing I knew all the words to many of these songs, because otherwise I would have had no idea what Dave Gleeson was singing.
The Jets delivered though, despite bearing little resemblance to the band I saw decades ago. Dave Gleeson out front and bassist Paul Woseen were the only ones I remembered. However, the new guns have been schooled in these songs and, sound issues aside, the band rocked just as hard as they did all those years ago. Dave Gleeson is still one of the most exciting performers I’ve ever seen on a stage. While I enjoyed him fronting The Angels, hearing him sing these songs feels right. Age has not wearied any of these guys, and hearing them play songs like “Healing Hand,” “C’mon,” and the always explosive “Better” took me back to my youth.
Things weren’t quite the same as they were in the ‘90s though. Trying to look around people’s smartphones as they snapped photos of the show got old really fast. Back in the day we were far too caught up in the music to do that. Back in the day, I was also proud of typically being the only girl in the centre of a very raucous front row. The crowd were still enthusiastic, but they didn’t go nearly as hard as they did all those years ago. I’ve mellowed with them though. I never would have dreamed of being a few feet back from the stage in the 90s. And when my husband alerted me to the time, during the encore, I never would have agreed that it was getting late and left just before the end. Perhaps if the sound quality was better I would have put up more of a fight, but I was happy to hear some of “Rocking in the Free World” in the foyer while my husband collected his umbrella. I insisted I’d keep my husband company on the way home, but I think I was snoozing before we made it out of the car park.
I certainly don’t have the staying power that I once did, but thankfully the Screaming Jets do. I shouldn’t leave it so long before I catch them again, but I’ll be praying for a better sound tech next time we cross paths.
Image source: Stephen Katulka
The Wobbly Boot Jazz Band provided the perfect soundtrack for us to track down my high school friend and acquaint ourselves with the venue. These guys are Jazz stalwarts, always consistent in the old-school jazz they deliver. They’re a reminder of where the festival began, before it started genre hopping.
So there was a tinge of sadness as we settled in to watch the Royal Australian Navy Band. These guys are always so tight, performing a set mostly made up of standards with military precision. Unexpected covers of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “I Want to Be Like You” from The Jungle Book added real colour to their performance.
Bruce Mathiske is such an accomplished guitarist that it’s impossible not to be impressed by what he does. When he brought George Golla on to the stage with him, we knew we were in the presence of greatness. However, three acts in I was kind of waiting for a break from the mellow. Or perhaps the rain that had started to come down was souring my mood. Either way, things were lovely but I was waiting for them to kick up a notch.
It seems I was waiting for Steve Clisby. Funnily enough, I was one of the only Aussies who wasn’t besotted with him on The Voice. I thought he played a little too safe, and I could see some limitations to his vocals. But when I saw him live, I wasn’t worried about any of that stuff. There’s this easy way about his performance style that wins a crowd over from the get go. Perhaps it also helped that here he was singing the songs he wanted to sing, rather than those given to him by the network. Although he did acknowledge his Voice past with his now famous cover of “Walking in Memphis.” I didn’t expect to enjoy Steve Clisby as much as I did, but after some fairly sleepy acts I was really impressed.
It wouldn’t feel like Jazz in the Vines without James Morrison, and once again he didn’t disappoint us. This time around he seemed to take a back seat though, giving his young singers an opportunity to shine. There weren’t the big trumpet solos I was used to. He even spent a little time on keys. Rather than attempting to be the star, he sang the praises of his vocalists. I was thrilled to see former Australian Idol contestant Roxane LeBrasse back with him, as she was a few years ago. The Voice alum Glenn Cunningham was there too, proving he’s well and truly moved on from being Delta Goodrem’s back-up singer. He was so much stronger than I remember him on the show, whether because he’s got more experience as a frontman under his belt or he’s now singing songs that he believes in a little more. I hadn’t heard of Evelyn Duprai but she was also phenomenal. I’ve seen James Morrison in the spotlight, so I really enjoyed watching him as part of one of the best soul ensembles I’ve seen.
Ross Wilson was the act I really wanted to see, and he put on the performance of the day. He drew from his entire back catalogue, helping the crowd forget about that relentless rain with classics like “Come Said the Boy,” “Come Back Again,” and my personal favourite “Cool World.” He has such charisma to match those amazing songs. By the time he brought out “Eagle Rock,” the whole crowd was singing along enthusiastically.
Cutting Crew kicked off the night with an explosive set. Nick Van Eede is a proper ‘80s star, with vintage moves like the one where you go down to your knees when you’re overcome with emotion and the one where you point out to the audience, convincing the girls that you’re singing right to them. It was as cheesy as it sounded, but it was so easy to get swept up in it. I don’t remember people waxing lyrical about guitarist Gareth Moulton in the ‘80s, but he blew me away. A song called “Till the Money Run$ Out” from a brand new album let us all know that Cutting Crew are more than just a nostalgia act. “(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight” was the song we all came to hear, and it delivered. A cover of REM’s “The One I Love” was an unexpected but incredible closer.
Paul Young followed, and after seeing him 
For the final portion of the night Nik Kershaw joined forces with Go West. A cover of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” opened a set which was a real mixed bag. They tended to play a cover together, then one act would go off to rest while the other treated us to their originals, before teaming up for another joint number. I was only born in 1980 so I didn’t know all of the songs, but they were performed so well that it didn’t matter. I’d actually seen Go West a few years back (also with Tony Hadley, because where he goes I follow), and they were every bit as good as I remember. The big hits “We Close Our Eyes” and “King of Wishful Thinking” were so much fun, but anything sounds good when Peter Cox is singing it. Nik Kershaw surprised me in the best possible way. I’d forgotten how much I love “The Riddle,” and “Wouldn’t It Be Good” took me right back to my childhood. “Sex On Fire” was an unlikely closer for these two ‘80s acts, but it was so much fun I don’t think anyone minded that it was a few decades after the shows themes.
Richard’s always been one of my favourite performers, so I couldn’t resist checking his Lonesome Voyager tour. It was billed as an opportunity to see Richard up close and personal, to hear the songs that made him a legend and the stories behind them. Honestly on that score I was a little disappointed. It seems Richard’s heyday passed in a heady blur, so he’s a little vague on the details of many of the songs’ origins. However, there was probably drugs or alcohol or both involved in their inception. The stories he recounted were cheeky and hilarious, but I didn’t quite get the insight into the music I was looking for.
But Joshua Radin was the man we all came to see. Despite being here to promote his album Onward and Sideways, his set took on a journey through his entire catalogue. In fact if anything it was heaviest on his debut album, after fans at the soundcheck told him they’d love to hear the early material. I sat in raptures, hanging onto his every word as he explained the circumstances behind the songs and listening to them with new understanding. After a backing band that felt too big for his songs last tour, it was refreshing to see him playing with just two other musicians. They gave the music the right amount of intimacy. My favourite Joshua Radin song “You’ve Got Growing Up To Do” was a real highlight, but “Winter,” “Only You,” and the jubilant” Belong” was also really special. Hell, the whole concert was special. His cover of “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright,” the first song he learned to play on a guitar, capped things off beautifully.
As I get older it takes something special to lure me into the city. But I couldn’t resist the promise of 
It might have been the illness that left me a little underwhelmed by support act Glenn Watson. He was a cutie and he had a guitar, which were two ticks against his name, but something about his music just didn’t rev me. There was the occasional track that I enjoyed, but his set didn’t quite get out of second gear for me, or for the crowd who kept their conversations buzzing throughout his performance. Perhaps if he played more of the covers he promised (at the end we just heard a little of Coldplay’s “Fix You” during one of his originals) maybe he would have brought us back.
I was a bit worried that even 
As 
After all, I have only a vague recollection of 
I was there to see another TV show success, 