Sharks Unveil New Video For ‘Arcane Effigies’
Sharks have released their brand new video for ‘Arcane Effigies’ and here at DIY, we decided to dig a little deeper and find out exactly what it’s all about.
The track comes from the band’s forthcoming debut album ‘No Gods’, with the video being filmed recently in the band’s hometown of Leamington Spa.
“We weren’t looking into making a direct explanation of the song through visuals, but rather just making a fun and watchable video,” explains Sharks frontman James Mattock, when he spoke exclusively to DIY. “The initial idea was to basically follow a skinhead youth around being delinquent, with the spray paint of ‘No Gods’ being the main scene.
“It’s pretty much the first thing that came into my head when I sat with the song and closed my eyes for video ideas, especially in the chorus; it’s like this Rudy character is being called out. The lyrics are somewhat descriptive in certain parts and we wanted to show lots of the town we lived in.
So, how did the original idea develop to include a group of four youths? “The idea of one character ended up being four kids that responded to this public application we put out. They all look great and were really up for doing whatever we wanted. One of the guys even came up from Kent and was getting trains since 5am that day.
“We took two days for the video, the second day being the performance scene and the first consisting of getting as much in of the boys as possible. A lot of what we did that day was completely off the cuff. Everyone, including the boys in the video, bounced ideas around all day. We ran off of a mix of instinct and the whatever we could do that remained with the original plan.
“The live shots of the band we set around this derelict area we found just outside of town, it was an open enough space for the drums not to be heard. All I remember from that day was doing each shot as quickly as we could, and trying to keep my eyes from falling out from the cold.”
And, as ever, the small details are an important part of Sharks’ visual representations: “There’s another ‘Rudy’ reference in the scene where Jake picks up The Specials LP from the charity shop. Referencing stuff like that close to the heart is really important for us to get across.
The video was directed by Ryan Mackfall of Crashburn Media - who also recently shot Polar Bear Club’s video for ‘Killin’ It’ - and we managed to have a catch up about his latest work.
“I think we approached this video in the knowledge that we really had to make sure our third collaborative work was something we could all be proud of. The last two videos went down extremely well. So much so I had people at their New York show, coming up to me and shaking my hand because they loved the ‘It All Relates’ video so much. Funny because we shot that for £250.
“Myself and the guys have always been creatively close and we’ve spent a lot of time together on and off the road. I think Sharks represent a different breed of band in the UK. I had the opportunity to listen to the new album and it is simply incredible. It goes without saying then as a filmmaker and director you want your works to represent the genius of the people crafting the songs. You want them to walk away feeling proud of what has grown visually from an album of songs that probably have a lot of personal meaning.
“This video was a two day stint of working solidly in the cold and damp of Royal Leamington Spa. By the end of it we were all exhausted, but ultimately very proud of what we had achieved. I think both myself and the band stem from the same belief that our work is very much a part of our soul. Therefore nothing can be done by halves, ever. Special mentions need to go out to the four lads who starred in the video as our young punks. They were some of the best actors I’ve worked with and they will always be in my gratitude forever. There were no questions asked, they just did as they were told. A directors dream.”
Sharks release their debut album - which was recorded in Baltimore with Brian McTernan - ‘No Gods’ on the 19th March.
watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb6YCz_MS5I
