Screaming Jets

Before silverchair came along The Screaming Jets were the most popular band to emerge from industrial Newcastle. More than silverchair, the Jets' music is a product of that town, still part of that generation where you either worked at the BHP steelworks or you didn't work at all. Either way, you wanted your music in-your-face and without frills. You wanted "rock". The Screaming Jets gave Newcastle what it wanted.

Not that founding members Dave Gleeson (vocals) and Grant Walmsley (guitar) were strictly working class - they met in 1981 while both attending an all-boy private school. In 1985 they formed their first band together, Sudden Impact, later to become Aspect. The group's slogan was "Today Newcastle, Tomorrow the World".

In 1988 Dave and Grant found a third kindred spirit in bass player Paul Woseen, and by January had assembled around them the band that would become the Screaming Jets, although their first performance in March at a local Newcastle pub was given under the name The Love Bomb. Eight months later they won the inaugural Triple J Battle Of The Bands, and in early 1990 relocated to Sydney. By May the Jets had been signed to RooArt, the internationally focused Australian label created by INXS manager Chris Murphy. Following an introductory EP, the band released its debut album 'All For One', produced by Englishman Steve James. They scored a national top 10 hit with the single 'Better'.

While their music kept winning them friends, and had them being likened to Australian heavy rock icons like AC/DC and The Angels, singer Dave Gleeson's mouth kept getting them into trouble. From the stage he took verbal pot shots at prominent people, occasionally causing the group to be banned, and he even upset audiences with his opinions on gays and Asians. Anyone who listened at all closely realized that Dave was having fun. His jibes were not really malicious. They became part of the Screaming Jets image.

At the end of 1991 the band embarked on a lengthy tour of the USA and Europe. They returned with an EP of cover versions, 'Living In England'. In April 1992 the Jets set about the task of recording a second album. 'Tear Of Thought' was released six months later, named after a painting by a patient at the Children's Hospital in Campertown, Sydney. The Jets' appeal as adolescent second generation Australian hard rockers had disappeared with the first album. Everything would depend on this album. The first single, 'Think', was received cautiously. Three months later their version of the Birthday Party's 'Shivers' (a last minute inclusion) sparked new interest in the album. A year later, when the album should have been dead radio was encouraged to discovered 'Helping Hand', a quirky song featuring a brass section. RooArt managed to squeeze even more life out of the album with a remix version of an earlier single, 'Tunnel', providing the album with its fourth Top 40 hit.

In the meantime the Jets were travelling back and forth, touring all over the world. It was now that they also started swapping and changing band members around the Gleeson./Walmsley/Woseen triumvirate. They also parted company with their former Kings Cross policeman manager. Adding to the unstable membership and management dimensions, the Jets and the other RooArt artists found themselves being handballed between record companies, from Warners to Shock to BMG, not the best way of finding guaranteed record company support. Despite the internal and external uncertainty the Gleeson/Walmsley/Woseen partnership has remained in tact, with new members always encouraged to make their impact. The philosophy behind the first album title 'All For One' remains. Dave Gleeson leaning to focus his larrikinism. His abilities as a showman speak just as loudly.

Throughout their journey, the Jets have maintained a strong performance regime which spills onto their records. They still set such high standards for themselves their 2000 album, 'Scam' had been demoed three times before Australian rock legend Ross Wilson (Daddy Cool, Mondo Rock) stepped in to produce the bulk of the final product.

In April ’01, after 12 years and 2000 gigs, half a million record sales and countless world and national tours, The Screaming Jets embarked on their last tour dates before an indefinite break from touring, culminating with a final performance on June 9th at home in Newcastle, NSW, where it all began. An album of that final show was released in December 2002, supported by performances.

During the Jets' break Dave Gleeson indulged himself by recording a rootsy country album 'Wanted Man' with ex-Jet guitarist Jimi Hocking and touring that music in front of the Stilsons. Grant Walmsley and latterday Jets drummer Col Hartchman formed a pop/rock group Hang Seng with bassist/vocalist Felicity Chicoteau. Hatchman left the Jets in November 2004,. His last performance was recorded for a live DVD released in 2005, called "Rock On".

Early in 2007 founding member and guitarist Grant Walmsley left the band and was replaced by Scotty Kingman, who engineered the band's latest album, which is yet to be released due to the band not being able to find a suitable distributor. Neither Gleeson and Walmsley have not revealed publicly the reason for the split.