Snort “Poison”

1996-snort-poisonSnort are an all-girl grunge rock band, ticking all the mid-’90s boxes. “Poison” is a crunchy, sneery attitude-laden song that seems to signal the arrival of a key bit of the ’90s.

The video is a lot of fun, starting with some “Prisoner: Cell Block H” style. The band is in jail and they pour a noxious black liquid over a cake, which they use to poison the evil screw (guys, that’s prison slang for warden).

The band escapes to a beach, where they attack a guy who looks like a Mexican Ray Columbus. I don’t know why he is the victim of their kicking. Perhaps they didn’t like his hat.

The video is at its best when it dispenses with plot and we just see the band rocking out in an old garage. The lead singer looks proper ’90s cool with her dyed red hair and nose ring.

The prison escape plot slowly fades away, leaving us with the band rocking out, surrounded by various rogues stuffing their faces with the poisoned cake. It’s a much stonger ending, and I reckon the video would have worked better if it had focused on the performance.

Best bit: the prison guard’s finger-licking icing appreciation.

Director: John Chrisstoffels
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… the elegance of the wide-legged trouser.