Mana “Ain’t Gonna Stop”

1994-mana-aint-gonna-stopIt’s a dilemma of music videos – how to film the band performing in front of a (fake) audience when no one wants to give up their weekend pretending to go mental over the same song again and again. Add children into the mix and you’re just asking for trouble.

“This is for the choowdrun!” And with that a hoarde of kids burst into the Freemans Bay Community Hall where the band play their latest single. The song starts with some synthesizer strings, hilariously brought to life by getting a teen string quartet (minus one) to “play” the string parts.

The lead singer of Mana is wearing a drive-through mic, which means he can engage in daggy dancing while he sings. The rest of the band look swamped on the large hall stage. Perhaps this is the largest gig they’ve ever done.

It seems like the original idea of this video was to have the band play the song at a concert full of children. But in the big group shot, I can only count about 16 kids plus a few grown-ups. Obviously Mana are not the reggae Wiggles and don’t have the pulling power for that demographic.

The children can be seen dancing along with a slight self-consciousness, and the ones who end up dancing on stage seem to be doing so like a under-rehearsed school production, rather than a spontaneous get-down.

I can’t help think that this song would have been better served by a family fun day at the beach setting.

Best bit: the spotty string section.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

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Missing videos from 1994

There’s a Rockquest winner, some more bogan rock, a bit of hip hop, and some reggae.
Continue reading Missing videos from 1994

Mana “Jah Son”

Mana’s cover of Herbs’ ode to Jesus takes place at the Otara markets, with the band performing live in a corner of the car park to a modest audience.

But much more exciting is market life. The camera sweeps over the jam-packed Saturday morning market, and then almost seems to have to fight its way through the bustle. But the video captures some interesting scenes of ordinary people doing their weekly veggie shop.

There’s also a brief montage of South Auckland scenes, including the dole office. Presumedly when Jesus comes, He will make everything ok. Hm, the markets look a little too crowded. Do you suppose Jah Jr will ease the congestion?

Best bit: the really serious looking woman who samples an orange segment.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… a bit of bogan.