String of Aussie acts including members of iconic Newcastle band to play at NRL grand final after entertainment debacle
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Members of legendary Newcastle band the Screaming Jets are among the Australian acts set to play at the NRL grand final on Sunday night, following a weeks-long entertainment debacle.
They will team up with artist Amy Shark and members of Grinspoon, Peking Duk, and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers for an emotional pre-match tribute to Rabbitohs player Jai Arrow, who was forced into retirement earlier this year after being diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (MND).
The Screaming Jets are true blue Newcastle boys. Supplied
Amy Shark previously performed at the 2020 NRL Grand Final match. Cameron Spencer/Getty
The Australian has reported the lineup will perform You’ll Never Walk Alone while Arrow performs a victory lap at 7.10pm, before kick-off at 7.30pm.
Each of the musicians will also be donating their appearance fee to MND causes, according to the outlet.
Nine.com.au has contacted the NRL and the artists named in the pre-match lineup.
Amy Shark previously performed at the 2020 NRL grand final, so she knows how to put on a show of that magnitude.
Grinspoon also hit the stage centre field more than 20 years ago in 2004, when they performed with American singer Chris Isaak.
Though neither Peking Duk nor Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers have done a grand final before, they’re no strangers to big gigs.
Peking Duk, which is made up of members Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles, have performed at huge Aussie festivals including Falls Festival, Spilt Milk, Splendour in the Grass, and Big Day Out.
Amy Shark and members of the Screaming Jets, Grinspoon, Peking Duk, and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers will perform at the NRL grand final. Graphic: Polly Hanning
Aussie rock band Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers snagged their first ARIA Award in 2024 and have lit up stages at Bigsound, Groovin’ the Moo, the Laneway Festival, and the Falls Festival.
But another major artist had to clear up rumours they were also on the lineup on Friday morning.
Jet debunks rumours of NRL grand final gig
Melbourne rock band Jet had to clear up the claims during a Today appearance, where they seemed pretty surprised by the whole thing.
“We were sat here and saw the autocue go past saying we were playing the NRL grand final and that was the first I’d heard of it,” bassist Mark Wilson said.
Hosts David Campbell and Belinda Russell cheekily asked if the band was free on Sunday night to play, but their answer was clear.
“We are free, but we’re not doing it. It’s just a little short notice,” frontman Nic Cester added.
Wilson joked that a live TV appearance was a funny way to find out about the rumours but was all too happy to debunk them.
Inside the NRL grand final entertainment debacle
News of the pre-match lineup comes after two weeks of headlines and speculation about how the pre-game entertainment would actually play out at the Knights v Roosters grand final.
The NRL was in talks with Aussie singer Tones and I to perform but that fell through less than two weeks before the grand final.
The NRL grand final entertainment debacle kicked off after talks with Tones and I collapsed last week. Supplied
That prompted NRL boss Peter V’landys to scrap the entertainment portion of the night altogether before backflipping a few days later.
Days before the grand final, he promised fans a “big surprise” that would be “the highest-rating 11 minutes you will ever see”.
He later revealed the NRL would honour Arrow with a tribute before kick-off, including a performance of You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers, though he didn’t say who would perform the song.
Jai Arrow and his wife Berina Colakovic arrive at the Dally M awards on Wednesday. Getty
Many fans called for a Newcastle band to perform, in honour of the Knights making it to their first grand final in 25 years.
Silverchair were one of the most popular picks, but declined to reunite for one night. The Screaming Jets were the next top pick.
Nine Entertainment Editor Richard Wilkins suggested the NRL could also honour Rose Tattoo frontman Angry Anderson, who died last week, with a musical tribute.
Gary Stephen Anderson became known to the world as Angry Anderson, as the frontman of Aussie hard rock band Rose Tattoo in 1976. Getty Images
“When Angry Anderson passed away, I thought there could be a call for [Noiseworks frontman] Jon Stevens to do a Noiseworks song, an INXS song, and a Rose Tattoo song [at the grand final],” Wilkins told nine.com.au.
“I don’t think it’s rocket science. I think you need a big iconic Aussie band playing some anthems that we know and love.”
