Nic Cester has returned to active duty with his first solo album ‘Sugar Rush’ and like the first Jet album he has achieved a blend of music genres and eras to create his own unique sound. However, it has been a long time coming.
After 11 years together, Jet disintegrated in 2011. Instead of jumping back in with a solo record, Cester withdrew from the music business.
“After I left Jet I was disillusioned in general with music,” Nic tells Noise11.com. “I was battered. I was fucked emotionally and unfortunately lost interest in music. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep doing it. Even if I had a small inkling to do it I didn’t want to do it for the sake of it. There are enough bands and musicians putting out albums. I only wanted to do something if I was 100% behind it and it took me a long time to get to that point”.
Nic hit that low-point right at the point where his band Jet were Australia’s biggest rock export of the 21st century. “That doesn’t necessarily mean I was satisfied,” he explains. “There were a lot of issues within the band. We were 16 and best friends when we started out. The relationships broke down. There was a lot of bickering and fighting and I include myself in that. There was a lot of politics within the band, relationships broke down and I didn’t feel I was able to express myself. I am fucking bored even hearing myself say it”.
It took five years for those relationships to repair. “That’s to do with the fact that there was a lot of time apart,” he says. “We were all able to have our separate lives individually and that allowed us to grow. For me musically, I had started something new that I was happy about and I was satisfied musically with what I was doing on my own. The door was open again for me to do Jet stuff. I was satisfied musically with what I could do on my own”.
Nic Cester will launch his solo career with two shows in coming weeks.
Nic Cester dates
October 31, Sydney, Leadbelly
November 2, Melbourne, Memo Music Hall
While Nic was talking to Noise11 he also reflected in the great George Young who passed away this week at age 70. “The blueprint of Australian music began right there. I did an interview in Germany a few days ago and they asked him to play some stuff. The Easybeats is always on my list. That is a huge loss”.
