The Burbs ~ P.E
Brook Mckeon’s popped up around Sea Foaming a couple of times now. The guy’s Melbourne born (Gold Coast part-timer), and lead singer of The Burbs. I met him at the filming of the music video for his band’s new single, P.E. The invites came in the mail – a stack of 35mm prints from old gigs, the address and love hearts scribbled all over them.
I headed up to Fitzroy with my best friend on a freezing November evening. We found the address – a tiny, two-storey venue tucked away in an odd street. Spray-painted walls, oriental rugs, & a little back alley and couch. Brook found us leaning against a wall in dim yellow lighting – he hugged me, motioned to the back door towards the free beers, and two minutes later was throwing himself headfirst down the stairs in pursuit of the perfect video clip.
The night was a complete mess and the band was all over it. By the fourth take, the room was pounding, film camera flashing across the crowd. We’re just – we’re going to do the second verse again, and I’m just gonna fall over like this Brook could be heard yelling into the microphone. Video cameras were being passed between long-haired boys who must have had some sort of plan, but all we really knew was, if the music’s playing, dance.
It was funny and electric, falling over the drum player and crowd surfing a guy out the door. Has everyone got a beer? Can we – can we get a beer train going? By the 11th or 12th take, we were screaming along to a song more ingrained in our stomachs than our minds, like we could feel it pulsing up through our lungs and throat, and at some point Brook’s pushing through the thrumming crowd, mouthing his lyrics to a camera, someone shoving a can to his mouth as he passes.
By the end of it, the band’s on the floor, the tambourine’s broken, and everyone’s pretty fucking confused. This is the weirdest gig I’ve ever been to, one girl’s saying. Pocketing a shattered piece of tambourine on the way out – yeah, I felt about the same.
all pics by cam