Australian rock legends JET will close Night at The Barracks with a night of riffs, recall and restless energy. On Saturday 3 October, Nic Cester, Cameron Muncey, Mark Wilson, Pete Marin and Louis Macklin bring their catalogue to Manly’s historic Barracks precinct, with songs that have long belonged as much to the crowd as to the band onstage.

After more than two decades, JET remains built for the live room: from small, sweat-soaked clubs to sprawling festival stages.

Ahead of their one-night stop at The Barracks, we spoke with lead guitarist Cameron Muncey about returning to Sydney, songs that still ignite a crowd and why the road remains the band’s natural home.

Cameron reflects on a schedule that has taken JET through Europe, with the United States next. Even with a world of stages behind them, Australian audiences hold a particular place.

“We have just been in Europe for a month and [we’re] just about to tour the USA," says Cameron. "Sydney crowds and Australian appreciation for live music is unmatched. We love playing different venues from little sweaty clubs to massive outdoor festivals; it adds interest for us.”

Formed in 2001, JET took a brief hiatus before returning to the stage with renewed perspective. “We are playing better than ever. The hiatus actually sharpened our live instincts, gave us the perspective to appreciate the experience anew.”

That sharper live instinct may help explain why their crowds span generations.

“Thank you for saying so, the music is energetic and gets into people's memories fairly quickly so that has something to do with it.”

From Are You Gonna Be My Girl? to Look What You’ve Done, JET’s songs have long held a place in the crowd’s memory.

For the band, the energy of performing them still comes from the shared response in the room.

“I would never listen to it by myself as that would be insane but to play it live is always enjoyable as I am reflecting the crowd’s excitement back at them.”

There are deeper cuts that keep the set moving, too.

“I always enjoy ‘Rip It Up’; it's played at breakneck speed and my mind is blank while I play. It just feels like a pure burst of energy running through me.”

JET’s early shows made that exchange unmistakable.

“I will never forget the reactions from audiences when we began, singing all the words back to us when we hadn't released an album yet. At times, friends and family had to help keep punters from landing on the stage!”

Australian crowds bring their own character.

“There is obviously a shared cultural perspective in Australia. Crowds here like a bit of levity and aren’t overly polite, though generally they are well behaved enough.”

As for what comes next for JET?

“Shows! shows!! shows!!!”

Catch JET live at The Barracks; tickets are at nightatthebarracks.com.au. •