Cranking up the heartfelt intensity at the centre of Aussie pub rock, The Screaming Jets are equally at home brightening up Rowland S. Howard’s brooding outsider ballad “Shivers” as they are belting out the shout-along chorus of 1991’s “Better”. The latter is quintessential Screaming Jets, culminating in the sudden acceleration of Dave Gleeson’s passionate lead vocals over a high-impact guitar solo. Formed in Newcastle, New South Wales, in 1989, the band quickly staked out a feisty middle ground between hard rockers like Van Halen and Def Leppard and fellow pub rockers like The Angels (for whom Gleeson would later sing lead on the side). Despite assorted lineup changes, Gleeson and co-founding bassist Paul Woseen (1967-2023) provided sturdy constants as The Jets powered through the guitar-heavy 1990s and remained a reliable touring force in subsequent decades. Despite that outsized moniker, the band have always nailed softer turns too, as heard on the reggae and jazz flourishes of 1993’s “Helping Hand”.