Review: The Superjesus at Freo.Social
The Superjesus at Freo.Social
w/ Beks, The After
Friday, June 19, 2026
Twenty-five years since the release of their sophomore album Jet Age, Australian rock stalwarts The Superjesus returned to Perth on Friday night to join with their fans in a celebration of this very special silver anniversary.
The evening opened with Kiwi rock four-piece The After, who came out of the gates red-hot with a sizzling combination of swagger, snarl, and intent. Kylie’s I Can’t Get You Out of My Head was given a vamp-rock makeover that matched well with frontwoman Ruby Fraser’s holographic outfit, whilst their originals showcased a varied and delicious array of influences across both decades and genres.
Earnest and enthusiastic, even at one point bringing out a trumpet for a bluesy chill-out moment, The After were a band committed to their craft, providing the crowd with a set as tight as a drum and giving all indications they were ready for the big time.
Treated to a second support act this evening, the audience was introduced to Beks, a human whirlwind of energy who brought forward a performance completely camp, utterly over-the-top and thoroughly engaging. Originally from Bundaberg but now escaped into the wider world, Beks tonight provided big hair, hot pink lycra, a personality as big as her home state, and two stellar bandmates who embraced the night with just as much fervour as their lead.
With obvious inspiration taken from Kylie, Gaga, and Miley, amongst others, her high-energy compositions would slot effortlessly into the clubs, any drag show at Connections, or perhaps even the higher peaks of Eurovision. Beks completely blew away any cobwebs or midwinter chill from the audience with her blazing sincerity, as a consummate entertainer also unafraid to call out the hard truths or go political.
When The Superjesus came to the stage about half an hour later, frontwoman Sarah McLeod gave the highest praise to both support bands. When the tour was being planned, there had been uncertainty as to how the TSJ crowd would react to Beks and the absolute party she brought. McLeod continued that Beks being added to the roster simply made them all happy, and around the country every audience thus far had immensely enjoyed her fabulous glamazon vibe, so very different to the rock bands that bracketed her.
Returning to The After and the serious chops Fraser and her group had demonstrated earlier, McLeod stated she felt the need to go home and practise more herself. Another sign of the high esteem given between both bands was the fact that The Superjesus “borrowed” keyboardist Bruce Madden for their headline set.
It is always wonderful to see artists support artists and to view the camaraderie displayed when these performers really get to know each other from the tours they have all been on. The sincerity and authenticity apparent on stage tonight seeped equally into the audience, who were both fully relaxed yet fully up for whatever came next.
And what came next was Jet Age played in full, song by song; the fans compressed towards the stage in absolute delight as McLeod and co. went full throttle with the music. Over To You was as powerful an opener to a concert as it had been to the album it came from, followed by the first single and biggest hit, Gravity, which itself ramped the energy up exponentially, with some audience members already pogoing a mere two tracks in.
McLeod subsequently gave some band lore to the crowd. To begin, as she explained, The Superjesus were very much into heavy dirge music then, and as they approached their first album, Sumo, and its surrounds, they had slightly softened to metal. Musical influences at the time included Motley Crue, The Melvins, and, ahem, Boy George.
By the time Jet Age came around, just past the turn of the millennium, producer of the time Ed Buller taught the group that not everything needed to be a wall of sound nor require the volume set constantly to eleven—this tale leading tonight into the delicate stylings of Enough to Know. The audience swayed happily in unison, as several couples held hands or smiled sweetly at each other, their innermost memories happily sparked by the song.
The wall of sound returned with a rollicking rendition of Holy Water; the front of the crowd turned almost into a mosh pit, after which McLeod gave more story time, this time about the VIPs entertained earlier in the day and the two who had admitted to the band they had romanced each other to Sumo on constant repeat.
Bassist Stuart Rudd piped up and stated, as he had heard it, there wasn’t all that much romance, rather album to bedroom and not much more, to which McLeod asked the wider room to scream if anyone else had previously had sex to any of their songs. A ragged cheer emerged from the front rows, and McLeod flashed her all-knowing grin most graciously, her mind swiftly across all possible permutations of which songs had made that particular grade.
Further fan favourite Second Sun was also given a rousing reception, especially the shared singalong outro that contained multiple la-la-las, as McLeod spoke in wonder both that this had been the fourth single from the album and about the concept of singles at all in the 2020s. McLeod displayed additional mock astonishment at the old-school reality of hidden tracks left down the back of an album, such as the wonderful closer Everybody Calls Me Lonely—the self-proclaimed dark horse, officially untitled for much of its time since original release.
Jet Age done and dusted, the birthday album fully and appropriately celebrated, The Superjesus could bring their additional children forward for the encore. Returning to Sumo and their heavier roots, Down Again was played with both freedom and a wild abandon. In the moment, the entire band synchronised; guitars shredded and drums thrashed to all heck. This was likely the loudest version of absolute bliss the fans could attain. The audience was electrified as the crowd’s energy continued to rise, even as the final portions of the evening all too quickly came into sight.
McLeod ended sans guitar for the first time all night, microphone in hand for an energetic and raucous Dancing with Myself, ironically enough, sung whilst dancing amongst her bandmates. This had been a rollicking evening that contained multiple highlights across all three sets, with the headline performers effortlessly cool yet so down to earth, who still seemed to thrive in the live environment and enjoyed each moment of interaction with their public. In return, the fans had taken their fill of the treats on offer, comfortably and joyfully sated for another year.
PAUL MEEK
Photos by Linda Dunjey
