Jet (band)

Jet are an Australian rock band formed in 2001. Founding mainstays are brothers Nic (vocals, rhythm guitar, piano) and Chris Cester (drums, vocals) together with Cameron Muncey (lead guitar and vocals). They were joined in the following year by Mark Wilson (bass guitar). The quartet released three studio albums Get Born (2003), Shine On (2006) and Shaka Rock (2009) before disbanding in 2012. Get Born is their highest charting work, which peaked at number one in Australia, top 20 in the United Kingdom and top 30 in the United States. Its lead single "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" (2003) reached the top 20 in Australia and UK and top 30 in the US. Both Shine On and Shaka Rock are Australian top five albums, while their other top 20 singles are "Look What You've Done" (2004), "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" (2006) and "She's a Genius" (2009).

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2004 they headed the leader board with six wins: Album of the Year, Best Group, Best Rock Album and Breakthrough Artist – Album for Get Born as well as Single of the Year and Breakthrough Artist – Single for "Are You Gonna Be My Girl". At the APRA Awards that single won Most Performed Australian Work Overseas in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Jet reformed in 2016 but released no new studio albums and separated again in 2019. They reunited for a second time in 2023 and were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in November that year.

The Cester brothers, Nic and Chris, grew up in Dingley Village and attended St Bede's College, Mentone, Melbourne. They listened to their father John's classic rock records from the 1960s and 1970s. While still at school Nic formed a group by 1995, which Cameron Muncey joined. Jet's influences include the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Faces, AC/DC and T. Rex. According to Nic, Australian power pop band You Am I had the biggest influence on their developing musical tastes:

"Hi Fi Way was the most important album of my generation... I think everyone our age, who played guitar, played You Am I songs for the first time in front of their school assembly... That was the record that made you realise you could be in an Australian band, you didn't have to be a grunge band and you didn't have to be influenced by American bands. It changed everything."

Nic, on lead vocals and guitar, decided to form a garage rock band, in 2001, with Muncey on lead guitar and vocals, before Chris joined on drums and vocals. Bass guitarist Doug Armstrong, who completed the line-up, had met the Cesters while working at their father's spice factory. The quartet trialled various band names, Mojo Filter, Hi-Fidelity and Duosonic, before settling for Jet in 2002 – from the song of the same name (originally by Paul McCartney and Wings). Their early repertoire was cover versions of You Am I songs and "whatever else was going 'round." "Radio Song" from their debut album Get Born was written about difficulties they had obtaining recognition at that time.

Jet supported Melbourne punk rock band the Specimens as an opening act at The Duke of Windsor hotel, Windsor. Talent manager and booking agent Dave Powell was filling-in for the venue's sound engineer, "I realised the singer could actually sing. I was blown away. They had a lot of potential and I didn't have a lot of bands coming through who were like that." Powell signed the then-unnamed group to his management firm. Nic recalled, "Duke of Windsor became our headquarters. [Powell] would be taking calls from you know, executives in Los Angeles from the keg room you know, that was his office." The members had met Mark Wilson in 2002 during his performance at that same venue and asked him to replace Armstrong on bass guitar. Wilson had been in a Geelong-based band, the Ca$inos.

Late in 2002 Jet independently issued a four-track debut extended play Dirty Sweet, with distribution by Rubber Records. Its initial pressing of 1000 copies was sold out. An NME writer had obtained a copy of the group's single "Take It or Leave It" from Dirty Sweet and described it as a mixture of the Rolling Stones and AC/DC. Elektra Records executives signed the band for a recording contract and re-released Dirty Sweet in May 2003.

Jet entered the Sunset Sound Studios, Los Angeles with Dave Sardy producing their debut album Get Born (September 2003). Sardy had produced work for Marilyn Manson and the Dandy Warhols. The Australian quartet used Billy Preston on keyboards for two tracks. Get Born's title references a lyric from Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" (1965) "Ah get born, keep warm." It reached number one in Australia and was accredited 8× platinum by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). It peaked in the top 20 in the UK and top 30 in the US, and was certified platinum in both countries by British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), respectively.