Rooftop soft rock, playing dress-up, into the rock universe, the cake kitchen, close but not too close, moving out, and the untenanted penthouse.
Jonny Love “Steal Your Desire”
Johnny Love returns to a rooftop location, but this time it’s in Auckland, not the since demolished landscape of Christchurch. As well as rocking out in front of the twilight skyline, Johnny and his band have random spotlights shining on them. And if that wasn’t music video enough, we’re also treated to shots of random people in quirky situations verses a wind machine. It’s such a music video.
Director: Damien Shatford
Katchafire “Groove Again”
“Groove Again” sees Katchafire playing dress-ups, but they can only do it in the self-conscious context of a visit to a costume shop. A magical enchanted costume shop. As each group member tries on his costume, the whole band is transformed into that musical theme: country and western, hip hop, metal.
Director: Marc Swadel
Luger Boa “Paralyzed”
Is “Paralyzed” the greatest pop song to mention anaesthesia? Why no, that’s “No Good Advice” by Girls Aloud. But Lugar Boa make a decent go of it. “Paralyzed” is based on mirrored images, sometimes flipped images, other times just one half being similar to the other. It’s a glam fantasy, and a decent portrayal of Jimmy Christmas’s rock universe.
Director: Johnny Lyon
Massad “Tear My Heart Out”
I am so frustrated by Massad. He seems to have the potential to be a great pop star, but his songs are never strong enough. “Tear My Heart Out” is cute, but it never really goes anywhere. The video uses the sticky world of cake decorating, and there’s a lot of fun had. But then I find myself bothered that the pink dress and lipstick of the baker clashes with the shade of the crimson sauce. The drama of cake decorating later showed up in Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” video.
Director: James Solomon
Miriam Clancy “The Best”
“The Best” is a stark, emotional song, mostly just Miriam and her guitar. The video recognises that as the core and lets Miriam star. She stands in a plain studio set, with a bright light shining behind her. The video is shot in long takes, creating a sense of connection with Miriam and her song. And yet there’s the bright light shining in our eyes and the camera moves away from Miriam. We can get close, but not that close. This is the last of Miriam Clancy’s funded video. Her Facebook page, which hasn’t been updated in over a year, suggests she’s in New York, with pink hair, working on new material.
Director: Brendan Donovan
Nightchoir “Come Away”
The “Come Away” video has a curious combination of two visual themes. There’s Mike Nightchoir moving out of a house (a classic State House, with all its cosiness), and old VHS footage of a band at a high school talent show. The modern footage is nicely shot in black and white, while the talent show is wobbly old home video. There’s even the implication that the school band represents Nightchoir as kids. As it happens, a breakdancing kid comes along and wins the talent show, while Mike is left standing out on the street.
Director: Marc Swadel
November Zulu “Long Way Home”
https://youtu.be/9rQefdnnpCQ
“Long Way Home” puts November Zulu on the deck of a penthouse apartment at a fancy apartment block in Takapuna. Strangely, the video doesn’t take much advantage of this, mostly shooting the band with the empty apartment and bare deck behind them, rather than showing the sweeping views of the Hauraki Gulf in front. The rest of the video features two cute kids, a boy and a girl, who explore the outdoors and find each other. That’s more interesting than more shots of the band rocking out at an untenanted apartment. This was the last of November Zulu’s two funded videos. They last updated their Facebook page in 2013, when lead singer Geordie was a semi-finalist on New Zealand’s Got Talent.
Director: Marko Los