Private Jet Interview

• 13th Sep 2006

Aussie boys Jet made their heaviest dent in the UK in 2003 with their debut major release 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl', taken from debut album 'Get Born', peaking in the UK charts at number 16. Their first two UK gigs were riotous and “shocking.”

Since their breakthrough, their UK mainstream chart success with borderline chauvinistic 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl' has been topped only in Jet's homeland Australia with 2004 single 'Look What You've Done'. Back to the future and single 'Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is', taken from follow up album 'Shine On', has made its first charting in the U.S. Mod Rock Charts at number 15.

Jet have often been accused of writing derivative songs, yet as a result, their success far outweighs their critical acclaim. Chris explains “You're inspired by music. Stuff you know. The stuff you write is more gonna be the stuff that you're going through, so it's never really gonna be an imitation of anybody.”

They once supported personal heroes The Rolling Stones on tour. “We don't really delve too much into what's happening right now. You try and cast a wider net. I heard Keith Richards describe song writing as y'know he's kind of like an antenna and everything's in the air – it all floats around. It's a very good description y'know. He puts his words very well.”

“You play two hundred shows and it's kind of hard not to develop” explains Chris Cester (drums/vocals). Brother and lead vocalist Nic is not present, but to either side sit Cameron (guitar/vocals) and Mark (bass). “We're all in other parts of the world right now; I mean we've got London, LA, Australia, Italy… it's pretty strange to be making a record that way” continues Chris.

After partaking in a series of interviews in a cosy private club in Soho, the Jet boys go on to play Reading and Leeds festival. The oldies go down a storm, and the new album tracks are listened to with the most copious amounts of concentration that such a dangerously high level of alcohol consumption can allow for an audience to muster without having washed for the past however many days.

Recently Jet brothers Chris and Nic suffered the death of their father, the subsequent result of which was the title track of their second album, 'Shine On'. “They're not personal experiences that someone else couldn't relate to” says Mark on the topics of the new songs. “It's fair to say that y'know. 'Shine On'… it was a song that my brother wrote for our father who passed away in October a couple of years ago. But y'know, other than that we try to keep it open ended; make of it what you will.” Cameron cuts in “The concept is the music really.” Chris elaborates on this “It's fucking wrong when you've loved a song for ten years and you read a fucking biography and it's about someone's ex girlfriend and you're like 'Oh shit, I got this all wrong.' But y'know you have this picture of something, and your imagination is so much more special and powerful than anything that anyone could put inside your head. Why ruin it for anyone?”

www.jettheband.com

Review by *Victoria McNaught-Davis*

*With special thanks to Rachel Boston and George Park for help with the
recording.*