The Screaming Jets are an Australian hard rock band formed in Newcastle, Australia, in 1989 by frontman Dave Gleeson (vocals), Paul Woseen (bass guitar), Grant Walmsley (guitar), Richard Lara (guitar), and Brad Heaney (drums). The band has three albums that peaked in the top five on the Australian ARIA Charts: All for One (1991), Tear of Thought (1992), The Screaming Jets (1995), and Professional Misconduct (2023). Their 1991 single "Better" reached No. 4 on the related singles chart. Walmsley left in 2007 and formed his own band. In 2013, bassist Paul Woseen released an acoustic solo album, Bombido.
Biography
1981–1990: Early years and The Scorching Adventures of the Screaming Jets
Dave Gleeson and Grant Walmsley met at St Francis Xavier's College, Hamilton, in 1981 and first performed together for a school dance at the Newcastle Town Hall. They formed the group Sudden Impact in 1985, which later became Aspect. Paul Woseen joined in 1988. Richard Lara, on guitar, and Brad Heaney joined shortly after. The band was renamed Screaming Jets in 1989. The group's first performance as The Screaming Jets was as The Love Bomb in a Newcastle pub in March 1989; they won the inaugural National Band Competition run by youth radio broadcaster Triple J in November of that year. The group relocated to Sydney in early 1990 and supported The Angels on a national tour. In May 1990, they signed with an independent label, rooArt. Their debut extended play (EP), The Scorching Adventures of the Screaming Jets, was issued in December 1990.
Through late 1990, The Screaming Jets became infamous for a series of raucous, sometimes violent, live shows. During shows to launch the debut EP, fights often broke out as the band's faithful Newcastle fans mixed with the new Sydney fans. A show at The Kardomah Cafe in Sydney's red-light district saw a string of casualties being ferried to the street outside with injuries including broken noses, a broken leg and numerous victims of heat exhaustion.
1991–1994: All for One, Living in England and Tear of Thought
In February 1991, The Screaming Jets released Better, which peaked at number 4 on the ARIA Charts. In April, their debut studio album All for One was released. The album debuted at number 3 and peaked at number 2 on the ARIA Charts. The album showed influences from Van Halen, AC/DC and The Angels. It reached the Top 50 on the ARIA End of Year Albums Chart for 1991. "Stop the World" and "Shine On" both reached the top 40. The controversial track "F. R. C." ("Fat Rich Cunts") was a crowd favourite and released internationally. Gleeson would dedicate the song to Michael Gudinski or Russ Hinze at concerts. At times, "F. R. C." was performed by guest vocalists from Mortal Sin, The Choirboys or The Angels.
Following the album's release, the group relocated to the United Kingdom, where they based themselves for over two years. Their second EP, Living in England, was issued in June 1992 and included cover versions of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" and AC/DC's "Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)". The EP peaked in the top 20 in July.
In October 1992, The Screaming Jets released their second studio album, Tear of Thought, which debuted at number 20 and peaked at number 3 in 1994. A cover version of Boys Next Door's song "Shivers" was released in January 1993 and peaked into the Top 20. The group supported Ugly Kid Joe on their European tour in 1993, when Heaney was fired mid-tour. He was temporarily replaced by ex-Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland. Heaney was permanently replaced in the line-up by former BB Steal drummer Craig Rosevear in July 1993. In January 1994, after a US tour backing Def Leppard, Lara was replaced by Melbourne guitarist Jimi "The Human" Hocking (ex-Spectre 7). Both "Helping Hand" and "Tunnel" were Top 40 singles from Tear of Thought.
While the band remained only moderately successful overseas, in Australia they became one of the top-drawing live bands of the 1990s and they achieved the rare distinction of being embraced by both commercial and indie-music focused radio.