Jet: classic rock cutups who are bluesy, woozy, and Keith Richards-approved

Interview, Nov, 2003 by Dimitri Ehrlich

Every so often a band like Jet comes along that proves the rules of making records can be safely ignored. The Australian quartet's debut EP, Dirty Sweet (Elektra), arrived earlier this year like a splash of cold water to the face. Featuring raw garage-rock songs leavened with simple hooks, it sounds like a collection of forgotten Stooges demos. But even among rock's current class of stripped-down revivalists, Jet sound less like they are re-creating the musical past than stumbling on something for the first time. "For us, there was no game plan," says drummer and songwriter Chris Caster of the group's unstudied approach.

After percolating in the Melbourne pub scene, Jet was handpicked by the Rolling Stones to be an opening act on the Australian leg of this year's Licks tour. Listening to the group's first full-length, Get Born, it's easy to see how the Stones might have heard echoes of their former selves in Jet's gnashing mess of bluesy rock. Jet's classically rocking live shows have also sparked near hysterical enthusiasm for the band in the United Kingdom. "At our first show in England, people were trying to grab the microphone and steal our set lists," recalls guitarist and singer Nic Cester (Chris's older brother). "Girls were like, 'Sign my nipples!" But he adds, "I suspect that the crazy things haven't really happened yet."

Dimitri Ehrlich is a contributing music editor for Interview.