For generations who grew up in the nineties, Jebediah provided the soundtrack to their youth. Now, a documentary titled Jebediah: Are we OK? promises to deliver a dose of “anemoia” – nostalgia for a time they never lived through – for younger viewers, while charting three decades of raw Australian music culture.
The film is the brainchild of director Arlo Dean Cook and producer Brooke Silcox, who spent a collective 11 years with the band. Cook initially set out simply to film the group’s 20-year anniversary tour in 2015, but found himself drawn into a deeper story.
“Just being around them and witnessing how close they were and how good that relationship was, and I was just like, ‘Wow, this is incredible!’ It was one of those things where I never thought about making a documentary, but I thought, this is a story right here that needs to be told that no one’s told yet,” he said.
Silcox emphasised the rarity of the band’s longevity and stability. “It’s very rare that a band will stay together over 30 years, and that it will still have the same lineup, and that’s just not an Australian thing – that’s an international thing,” she said, adding: “I think it goes to show that this band is incredibly special, and it’s testament to the bonds that are in that band.”
The four-piece consists of Chris Daymond on lead guitar, Vanessa Thornton on bass, and brothers Kevin and Brett Mitchell on vocals and drums. Jebediah is best known for hits including Leaving Home, Harpoon and She’s like a Comet, and for album artwork featuring the famous Bull Creek spaceship, a Futuro house near where the members grew up.