April 2006: Juse, Katchafire, Lemuel, Luke Buda, Luke Thompson

A really unflattering pink jumper, a rool-trippy-as road trip, a fairly straight road trip, and so much wood panelling.
Continue reading April 2006: Juse, Katchafire, Lemuel, Luke Buda, Luke Thompson

February 2006: Blindspott, Chong Nee, Cobra Khan, Don McGlashan, Frontline

Of course there’s a strip club. Also urban decay, suburban angst, Manhattan and the Hokianga.
Continue reading February 2006: Blindspott, Chong Nee, Cobra Khan, Don McGlashan, Frontline

October 2005: Nesian Mystik, North Shore Pony Club, Pluto, Recloose, Shocking Pinks, Sola Rosa

A raucous children’s party, retro computer games attack, fleabag hotel intrigue, a hideous car crash, picking up chicks, and a badman,
Continue reading October 2005: Nesian Mystik, North Shore Pony Club, Pluto, Recloose, Shocking Pinks, Sola Rosa

Carly Binding “I See the World”

This music video has so much to offer.

1. It’s the first single off Carly Binding’s second album, So Radiate. The album title is written on her guitar strap for extra brand awareness. It actually looks like it’s been written in Twink.

2. The video is shot in portrait orientation. You know how there are all those webpages passively-aggressively reminding people to turn their smartphones to landscape orientation when filming interesting things? Yeah, eff that. Sometimes portrait is cooler. In this case, the video includes lots of tall buildings and shots going up, so the portrait style suits it best.

3. But there are lots of shots of people falling from the buildings, WTC style. Because it’s a magical music video, everyone falls safely and gets to enjoy a Carly Binding street concert, but there’s still an unpleasant reminder of the people who fell to their death on 9/11. Maybe the innocence and naivety of New Zealand means something like this can be got away with, but just imagine the outcry if an American music video had scenes like this.

4. Carly’s drummer is Scotty Rocker, star of Treasure Island: Couples at War, one of the sacred texts. This makes me intensely nostalgic for that period in the early to mid ’00s when TVNZ made lots of trashy reality shows in order to fulfil its charter obligations. I miss Celebrity Treasure Island. I miss the Scotty and Vicky-Lee magic. There aren’t even any YouTube clips.

5. In one scene there are posters for touring acts Goldie and the White Stripes, among others. It’s the weirdest bit of product placement because Carly Binding is so different to the edgy drum ‘n’ bass of Goldie or the homespun stripped-down rock of the White Stripes. But then, maybe the posters were just chosen for their colour or design, rather than any sort of artistic association.

6. Nice one, Carlz.

Best bit: 7. Carly’s Chrissie Hynde fringe.

Director: Andrew Morton
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… too much to say.

Bleeders “Out of Time”

In every Bleeders video, there’s an inevitable shot of Angelo grabbing the microphone, showing off the Straight Edge X’s on the back of his hands, which reminds me that straight edge is still a thing. Guys, if you’re feeling kinda glum, just think about straight edge and all your troubles will disappear.

We find sXe pinup Angelo and his bandmates mooching around the Bob Hill Reserve skate park in New Lynn, in the days before the council cleaned all the graffiti off. This is not allowed to be a fun community youth recreation facility; it’s all urban and gritty, ok.

When the band aren’t at the skate bowl, they’re performing in a studio with footage of the skate park projected behind them, just in case the studio wasn’t urban or gritty enough.

The winner is shouting everyone McDonald's.
The winner is shouting everyone McDonald’s.

Back in the skate bowl, with the Pagani outlet store in the background, the lads are hunched in a circle, playing craps. There’s a shot of the money that had been laid down – two $20 notes and a six $1 and $2 coins, less than $50, all up. And the weird scenario where two people have put in $20 each, but the others have just plonked down whatever loose change they’ve had in their pockets. I can’t help feel that someone is getting ripped off.

The video ends with footage of the Bleeders hanging out with their mates. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves – and it works a lot more successfully than the attempt at street craps.

Best bit: footage of Angelo at the skate park flawlessly switches to the studio backdrop.

Director: Andrew Morton
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… the fall girl.

Missing videos from 2005

February 2005

Strawpeople featuring Jordan Reyne “Wire”

“Wire” is the last of the the 17 videos the Strawpeople had funded. That’s a lot of videos – they’re outnumbered only by Salmonella Dub, Katchafire, Greg Johnson, The Feelers and Shihad.

Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

April 2005

Alphrisk “Guess Who’s Here”

“Guess Who’s Here” asks Alphrisk. The answer is Alphrisk. He’s joined by fellow Deceptikon Savage, and notes that the “Deceptikonz are going places”. There’s a live performance of the song on the short-lived New Zealand version of Top of the Pops.

Bennett “Stop Holding Us Back”

Bennett’s second and final funded video is the assertive “Stop Holding Us Back”.

Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Blindspott “Trevor Sue Me”

The weirdest entry in the old NZ On Air database was funding for a Blindspott song called “Trevor Sue Me”. No song (or video) with this name exists, so I assume it’s a placeholder title. That raises the question: who was Trevor and how did he earn the ire of Blindspott?

Michael Murphy “How Good Does It Feel”

I’m not sure if a video was made for NZ Idol runner-up Michael Murphy’s second single “How Good Does It Feel”, but it’s on the list. If so, it was his one and only funded video. This seems like such a luxury – a reality show contestant being allowed to release an album full of original songs. Murph’s post-Idol solo career didn’t have a future, but he will later show up with his band 5star Fallout. (Bonus: long-term readers of my online oeuvre may wish to think back to #sodamncontroversial and laugh and laugh and laugh.)

Sommerset “Magdalene”

Sommerset has the dramatically titled “Magdalene (Love Like a Holocaust)”, which sounds like the aftermath of a bad break-up. It was the final of Sommerset’s five funded videos.

Director: Andrew Morton
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

The New Trends “Five Minutes With You”

The New Trends were a high school duo from Taradale. They were finalists in the 2004 Rockquest, the same year Incursa won and Kimbra was the runner-up. But they had their most success with the song “Five Minutes with You”, which placed second at the Play It Strange songwriting awards in 2004, including a performance of the song by Michael Murphy.

Director: Paul Taylor
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Instead…

The consolation video for this month is a charity single. “Anchor Me”, the Mutton Birds’ nautical love song, was recorded by an all-star line-up to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the sole act of international terrorism in New Zealand.

Director: Tim Groenendaal
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Sommerset “In Between”

2004-sommerset-in-betweenI don’t think this video actually ended up having NZ On Air funding, but still going to include it. “In Between” was filmed by Andy Morton at a gig in Berlin, the same German show that also features in the band’s “Faded” video.

“In Between” is a really basic live video, filmed with one camera down the front of the stage. It’s one continuous shot, but it’s a masterclass in when to move a camera. Andy Morton is obviously really familiar with the song, so the camera is always pointing at the right place and captures all the action.

The potential monotony is broken up by a using a few filters on the footage. It seems to capture Sommerset at their peak and is a lot more compelling than the band’s earlier, more complicated videos. This is how you make a cheap-as music video that doesn’t suck.

Best bit: the on-stage beer fridge.

Director: Andrew Morton

Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… the case of the missing idol.

Sommerset “Faded”

2004-sommerset-fadedThe “Faded” video follows Sommerset on tour in Germany in 2004. It immediately reminded me of the video for Steriogram’s song “Road Trip”, and then I realised that both videos were directed by Andrew Morton.

That’s not to say this video is a clone of “Road Trip”. Steriogram’s video was more focused on both the good and bad aspects life on the road, while “Faded” has more of an emphasis on the live shows.

“Faded” is a strong anthemic song so the best parts of the video are the live performance scenes. The backstage and travel footage seems unnecessary, but I guess if you’ve travelled to the other side of the world, you want viewers to know you’re not just playing down at the King’s Arms.

Best bit: a case with “The Donnas” stencilled on it, specifically dating it to 2 October 2004, when Sommerset supported The Donnas in Dortmund.

Director: Andrew Morton
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… life on a different kind of road.