Jet @ Carling Academy Birmingham

Nov 7 2006 By Andy Coleman, Birmingham Mail

I FIRST saw Aussie band Jet in June, 2003, when they previewed their yet to be released debut album Get Born in the intimate surroundings of Academy 2.

Three years later and Jet are back at the Academy - this time the main room - with two albums released and a sold-out venue to play to.

A sold-out Carling Academy means that unless you're over six foot tall or you can get to the front of the stage or balcony you're unlikely to get a decent view of the band.

Stuck behind Jet's giant speaker stack, all I could see was frontman Nic Cester and bass player Mark Wilson.

They doggedly overcame some initial sound problems to deliver a firecracker of a gig that left them bathed in perspiration.

Songs from new album Shine On appeared more rough and raw than on disc, with the influence of Beatles' melodies coming through.

But it was the Stones/Oasis and AC/DC-inspired riffs of Are You Gonna Be My Girl, Cold Hard Bitch and Rollover DJ from Get Born that got the crowd baying for more.

An arena tour surely can't be far away.