April 2, 2003

Jet : London Camden Barfly

Antipodean anti-disco shocktroops prove legends in the making

If Nick Sester is looking a little dazed, you can't really blame him. Jet's debut UK show two days previously in Nottingham saw the audience go completely berserk: crowd surfing, storming the stage and leaving the band feeling, in their own words, "shocked". Tonight isn't quite as riotous, but with one female fan already sporting a grey flat cap in Nick's honour, it's confirmation that Jet are poised to be planet-sized.

A week before all this, Jet were supporting the Rolling Stones in Australia and you can see why they were handpicked for the job. Opener 'Move On' is a prime, country-tinged Stones ballad, all wild-hearted tenderness and '60s suss. 'Get Me Out Of Here', meanwhile, is a Stones rocker, pulling all the classic Keef moves. Squint a little and you could believe this is the most exclusive Stones gig ever. What makes Jet more than a simple tribute band is a streetfighting attitude inherited from AC/DC. The show really kicks off with the anti-dance anthem 'Rollover DJ', all spite and defiance, and by the time they rage through Elvis' 'That's Alright Mamma', it's clear they're doing to the Stones what Oasis did to the Roses. Tonight, Jet are rock'n'roll stars. Just try stopping them.