Fur Patrol “Now”

1999-fur-patrol-nowThe video opens with the startling image of Julia Deans with glowing orange eyes, holding up a comedy voodoo doll. Just what is going on here?

Before any answers are given, the video flips into a parallel universe. Fur Patrol are performing in front of a large audience at Wellington Town Hall (or possibly Auckland Town Hall). It looks like it might be part of a festival rather than a headliner gig, but they’re still playing to a huge crowd who are loving it. [Commenters Lisa and Sam have figured it out. It was a Victoria University orientation gig at Wellington Town Hall in March 2000, where Shihad and HLAH-side project Baconfoot also played.]

The video is directed by Chris Graham, whose work we’ve previous seen with Upper Hutt Posse’s “Dread on a Mission” video and Te Kupu’s “Vision” vid. With “Now” he both captures Fur Patrol’s live energy and gets a bit arty with the strange world.

Yes, back to the strange world. There’s Julia lookin’ fierce, wearing a tracksuit and standing in a not-quite-natural world that seems inspired by Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box” video. But wait – it’s not just one Julia, it’s two, a green-screen clone to add vocal harmony. There’s also a grumpy-faced small girl with two dolls, a snake, and the other Fur Patrol members hanging out with dogs.

The band also gets to have fun with great balls of CGI, including one that looks like a Swiss ball with a CGI baby surrounded by an orange plasma glow, and two smaller balls with Julia’s eye and lips. It’s a bewildering world of crazy. Parts of the CGI feel like someone mucking around with all the cool new toys in the edit suite, but other stuff – like the two Julias – just feels normal.

This all makes the live footage seem a little dull in comparison, but there’s one moment from the town hall that stands out. Julia does a sideways kick, revealing that she’s wearing a skirt over trousers – long flared trousers with a tunic-like top hanging down. It’s like hitting the late ’90s/Wellington style bingo.

Best bit: the clever cut from Julia reaching towards the camera to a concergoer doing the same.

Director: Chris Graham
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… pucker up.

5 thoughts on “Fur Patrol “Now””

  1. It’s Wellington Town Hall in November 2000, and the gig was a triple bill with Weta and Shihad. I was in the audience, the second time I’d seen Shihad in two days after missing most of their concert in Palmy the night before after they had to start it earlier than advertised.

    It was a great gig from all three acts, one of the best I’ve ever been to at that venue.

  2. Thinking a little about the dates, it might be the triple bill they did with Shihad and Baconfoot in March 2000. Still Wellington Town Hall though. It’s interesting comparing the footage in the video with the experience of seeing it filmed.

  3. Yes it was a Vic Uni Orientation week gig. You can see me sweaty and singing along which kinda implies that some of the audience shots are actually from Shihad’s set.

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