Jet found international popularity during the early 2000s, a period in which the band's mix of
Exile on Main St. swagger and brash,
AC/DC-styled stomp dovetailed nicely with America's garage rock revival. Hailing from Melbourne and comprising guitarist
Cameron Muncey, drummer
Chris Cester, bassist
Mark Wilson, and frontman
Nic Cester, the foursome formed just as the new millennium was beginning. They quickly self-released 2002's
Dirty Sweet, a vinyl-only EP that proved to be quite popular in Australia. The EP sold out of its initial run of 1,000 copies, and Jet's acclaim grew in the U.K. as they issued another limited-edition run. An American deal with Elektra surfaced in early 2003, and the
Dirty Sweet EP was released domestically that May. An opening slot for
the Rolling Stones in Jet's homeland soon followed. With buzz brewing about the band's skuzzy, old-fashioned hard rock, Jet's proper studio debut arrived in November under the title
Get Born.
With its crisp guitars and start-stop tempos, "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" became a radio favorite worldwide, and Get Born sold over three million copies as a result. Jet also received seven ARIA (Australian Record Industry Association) nominations, six of which were awarded to the band. European dates with Oasis followed in summer 2005, and the sophomore effort Shine On arrived in fall 2006. The band maintained a steady touring pace and contributed a song to the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack. Following a short break, Jet reconvened in 2008 to begin work on a third album, which arrived one year later as Shaka Rock. They toured as support for Green Day and Powderfinger, but went on hiatus in 2010 and were fully disbanded in 2012. Jet were back in business after several years, however, playing headlining shows in Australia during early 2017. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, Rovi