Jet - Manchester Academy - 4.11.06
It was at Leeds Festival that Designer Magazine faced the decision of whether to see The View, an overrated Scottish band that peddle pub rock bollocks, or Jet, an Aussie rock band who deliver pub rock bollocks. We went for the comparatively smaller bollocks of the View and now as we witness Jet in Manchester we're vindicated that we made the right decision this summer.
You see Jet are an easy target and their second lacklustre album didn't help things and now what were the classic songs of the debut have now been turned into a parody on X Factor. As we look around the venue tonight, the audience really have been draughted in from a Status Quo gig and there's so much denim you'd think it was 1970.
Whereas previously Jet have delivered the goods, hit after hit, the fans lack of familiarity with the new material means that much of tonight's set falls flat on its face. These are the sort of fans of the jukebox generation who demand all killer and no filler. "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?", "Roll Over DJ" and "Cold Hard Bitch" are almighty beasts of tunes which set the benchmark beneath which everything fails.
Jet may have a swelling fanbase but loyalty and those early uber hits will only keep them going so long and lacklustre performances like this cant be doing any good. I mean c'mon, who exactly could say that any of the new so unremarkable songs that you cant even remember their name were highlights of the set. Exactly!!
Alex McCann