Music Videos

Luke Harris

Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

The isolated and hollow setting reflects the nature of the music; wide open spaces are often used in gothic literature, and the gothic was a major influence on Post-Punk music, as well as being a more subtle influence on modern indie music.

The handheld camera effect used makes the video seem raw and unpolished, therefore conforming to conventions of the indie genre.

This wide shot reveals the dingy surroundings, which are reflective of the crowded small music venues associated with indie bands. This adheres to the notion that indie bands are ‘rebellious’, as it promotes working class surroundings and therefore challenges the idea of the ‘ruling class’.

The Smiths - Ask

The various close-ups used accentuate the character’s emotions – here he looks melancholic and pensive; qualities that lead the character to be associated with the indie genre.

He gives a girl flowers, giving off the impression that he is a romantic. The character’s femininity in the video supports the idea of gender as a social construct, as opposed to being biological, therefore tying in with the idea of queer theory and conforming to the idea that indie music subverts norms.

The female characters stand next to cars that match the colour of their clothing, suggesting they are merely possessions of the men. This also helps to establish the main character as an ‘outsider’, thus conforming to another typical quality of an ‘indie’ person and establishes him as a binary opposite to the stereotypical men in the video

The Stone Roses – I Wanna be Adored

The video opens by panning through the setting – a barren desert - for a long period of time. The isolated setting establishes the band members as ‘outsiders’ and therefore adheres to the image of the indie genre

The slow dissolves reflect the psychedelic nature of the music, making the video seem dream-like. The general psychedelic feel of the video could be said to be influenced by the drug-addled ‘Madchester’ scene of their early years together as a band.

The Libertines – Can’t Stand me Now

The fast paced editing of still images used to open the video establishes the fast paced rock & roll lifestyle of the band.

The way the camera progressively zooms into the venue suggests an intimacy, despite it being one of the band’s bigger gigs; therefore still attempting to associate the band with the more traditionally ‘indie’ small venues, and implying a close connection between the band and its fans

Quite a lot of the footage of the band playing their instruments is asynchronous with the actual song, supporting their messy rock & roll lifestyle, which was prevalent in indie music in the early 2000s.

Arctic Monkeys – The View from the Afternoon

The setting is quite glum, tying in with the melancholic nature of indie music. Additionally, the multi-storey flats signify a working class environment; an environment which was heavily influential on Arctic Monkeys’ early work.

The slow dissolves used reflect the melancholic nature of the music

The various people that come to heckle the character help to establish that he is an ‘outsider’, showing that he conforms to the stereotype of an ‘indie’ person.

The tattered hand-wraps suggest he has been drumming for a very long time, conveying the passion he has for music – artists and bands within the indie genre are perceived to be more passionate about the music they create than artists and bands within other genres of popular music.

Bombay Bicycle Club – Dust on the Ground

The setting is a lot more suburban than the murky city surroundings that used to be more prevalent within the indie genre. It conforms to Anthony Giddens’ theory that the self is always changing, as the ‘indie’ identity is no longer heavily associated with the working class

The video is full of depressing and, sometimes, disturbing imagery, conforming to conventions of the genre. Here, a group of girls circle a girl knelt on the floor in a way that suggests some sort of perverse ritual. The low lighting also adds to the melancholic and disturbing feel.

A girl is seen beating another with a cane. The more intense disturbing imagery here characterises the melancholic nature of indie music