Review of Jet: Family Style

Introduction

This DVD will be a real gift for `Jet` fans. Not only does it contain a fairly incendiary gig in its entirety, but it collects together all their video promos to date, and a brief but relatively entertaining `on tour` featurette as well.

If I was to concoct a recipe for `Jet` (and you`re left with the over-riding feeling that someone did) then they`d be 30% The Faces, mixed with 20% The Rolling Stones, with a further 20% Iggy and the Stooges, perhaps a drop or two New York Dolls - and a further 30% or so fellow Aussies, AC/DC. In some respects they`re the great pretenders, hopelessly derivative, leaving no rock`n`roll cliché unturned as they re-tread a very well-worn path. On the other hand it could be posited that they are the least pretentious of all bands, just doing what they do - good old fashioned rock`n`roll. Simply a fun loving bunch going through the motions and enjoying every inch of the journey. Whatever the analysis, they`re highly un-original but they sure can kick some ass.

So what`s the gig like?

It`s a nicely shot, multi-camera shoot at a small to medium sized venue (possibly Shepherds Bush Empire), though it`s pretty standard fare, with the usual mix of techno-crane shots, hand-helds on stage and fixed-wides from the rear of the hall.

The band stroll onto the smoky stage, de-rigueur Keith Richards cigarette hanging from all their sneering mouths, ruffling up their Faces-spikes as they roll into the first number. It`s standard riffy-rock (`Cold Heart Bitch`, a recent single) which the drummer, with his propensity for Keith Moon rolls across the toms, lifts to a little above average. They pick a track from their `Get Born` LP for their second song, Get What You Need, which is another foot stomping head-shaker from the same stable as the first. Song three is a courageous cover of The Chocolate Watchband`s garage psychedelic hit, Sweet Young Thing, which does a great song justice. (These boys couldn`t have been alive when that one was released!). Rollover DJ, their first `hit` quickly follows and gets a great response form the head-shaking audience.

Look What You`ve Done changes the pace entirely and is a remarkably instant ballad which sounds like a hybrid Coldplay/Beatles number. It works wonders and the audience join in, resisting the temptation to wave scarves and lighters. The remainder of the set plunders the album and offers up more and more in the same vein, though they conclude with a surprisingly lack-lustre version of Elvis`s `That`s alright Mama`. Perhaps they went too far backwards in the rock`n`roll time machine and this should be classified firmly in the `misjudged` category.

In totality though, a fine set which needs to be played with the volume set to 11 - at least.

Video

Picture quality is good throughout, though a gig in a small venue is exactly that. Much of the atmosphere is captured here on Digital video, though occasionally it`s a little dark and grainy. If this worries you then `Jet` probably aren`t the band for you anyway. All the promos are well presented here. The only letdown might be the home movie footage shot on that early tour but it is what it is.

Audio

The choice is yours! Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, and L-PCM 2.0 tracks - and all sound cracking. Just make sure you turn it up to the max and have your air guitar to hand…

Features

The retro menu is nice and gives you maximum control - you can get to any song from the main menu, whether live or promo. It`s nicely designed with a late 1960`s feel to it.

Are You Gonna Be My Girl kicks things off. This mixes animated pen-work with lively and stylish black and white footage filmed in a white cove studio. Look What You`ve Done is a straightforward piece, again filmed in a studio cove with steadi-cam camera moves perfectly complementing this quite beautiful ballad. Cold Hard Bitch moves the band out of the safety of a white cove into… a bar! It`s full of Jet fans and Jet girls and all works well. It even descends into the band appearing to be playing inside a pin-ball machine which is OK - but is really just the band playing, only this time inside a pinball machine - if you see what I mean Perhaps the most amusing piece here is the Australian version of Rollover DJ which shows the band playing in a small studio where crazy Japanese dancers freak out to the track. Great!

Also included is an 11-minute Tour featurette, shot just after the release of Are You Gonna Be My Girl but prior to the release of the Get Born LP. It`s an amusing enough, half-baked trawl through some of the bands home movie stuff and won`t be to everyone`s tastes but some fans will love it. For me - once was more than enough!

Conclusion

Jet are an Australian band that possibly don`t know any better. Maybe that`s why they`re happy to stand, legs apart, Flying-V guitar at the ready and sing `Cold Heart Bitch` without any trace of self-consciousness or irony. There`s neither a cynical nor original bone in their debauched bodies. English bands would be too knowingly referential to do this for real; rock references would be delivered with a wry smile and a knowing wink. Here it`s belted out as if for the first time. And it`s bloody infectious.

This DVD does a rather good job of mopping up enough `Jet`, both live and promo work, to sate the appetite of even the most devoted fan. It`s also put together very nicely, with both DTS 5.1 and Dolby 5.1 to give your full speaker set a damn good thrashing.

If you like down and dirty rock`n`roll (with the occasional ballad) then you`ll like Jet. And if you like Jet then you`ll like this.