Dave Gleeson from The Screaming Jets once told a music journalist that he was as “unreliable as a two-bob watch” but a lot’s changed since then. Dave’s become a father, he’s got a licence to drive a car and has even held a steady job with Triple M.
We chatted to Dave ahead of The Screaming Jets’ show at the Burwood Colliery Sports and Bowling Club on Sat the 13th of December. I started out by asking Dave if there was still pressure on the band to really “turn it on” when they took to the stage in their hometown.
“Absolutely” he says.
“We want to make sure we’re still the “phattest” rock band going around town. We’re proud of the fact that we can still get up there and play songs like (The 1991 hit) Shine on and all the other early stuff written in Newcastle and the songs still resonate with the audiences there. Both with new fans and the ones that have been there right from the start”.
Dave says that the ability to play lots of gigs in their hometown gave The Jets and other Newcastle bands of the time a certain edge.
“Back in the day we could just play all the time” He tells me over the phone from his home in Melbourne.
“There were lots of gigs to play in Newcastle around that time. Lots of alternative and mainstream gigs. That was a great breeding ground”.
When I press him further on what it was about The Screaming Jets that people gravitated to, he points to a conversation he had with a manager when the band were first starting out.
“One thing that has always stuck with me was when a manager told me that he’d seen INXS and people really got into the energy that Michael Hutchence had on stage. He just moved around all night. I’ve always remembered that, and try to put on the most energetic show I can every time i get up there”.
Before I hung up the phone to let Dave to get on with his day, I wanted to know if he’d felt any pressure when moving into the role of frontman for seminal Australian rock band, The Angels.
“I’m a fan…From way back. The Angels probably had the most influence on me, and even The Jets. When I was first asked by the boys it was just meant to be for a handful of gigs but it went from a project to having a life of it’s own. It was still a massive thing for me, the band are just so revered”.
The Screaming Jets play the Burwood Colliery Sports and Bowling Club on December 13.
