About this episode

Stuart Rudd discusses the 25th anniversary of The Superjesus' album Jet Age and the band's evolution in the music industry.

Australian rock legends The Superjesus are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their landmark sophomore album, Jet Age, with a national tour that kicks off in Brisbane tonight, June 5. Released in October 2000 through EastWest Records, Jet Age marked a massive creative and commercial evolution for the Adelaide-formed band. Following the gritty, raw, grunge-fuelled success of their 1998 debut album Sumo, The Superjesus faced heavy industry pressure and unexpected internal turmoil. This included the departure of founding guitarist and co-writer Chris Tennent. Rather than collapsing, frontwoman Sarah McLeod and bassist Stuart Rudd recruited new guitarist Tim Henwood. This lineup change completely transformed their musical direction. Moving away from the heavy distortion of the '90s grunge era, they embraced a more sophisticated, melodic "dark pop" and alternative power-rock aesthetic. The shift paid off brilliantly; Jet Age debuted and peaked at number 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart and officially reached Platinum status. The album delivered some of the most enduring rock anthems of the turn-of-the-millennium era. The soaring lead single Gravity became a definitive radio staple, landing…

People in this episode

Guest: Stuart Rudd

Topics covered

• The Superjesus
• Jet Age
• Australian rock music
• music evolution
• interview with Stuart Rudd

Keywords

• The Superjesus
• Jet Age
• Stuart Rudd
• Australian rock
• music interview
• 25th anniversary
• grunge
• dark pop
• alternative power-rock

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Superjesus, EastWest Records

Books & works: Jet Age, Sumo

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