The music video starts off with a wide shot of the band in a low lit basement space, they are backlit so we can only see their silhouettes as they play their instruments, in fact backing us the audience. They dark lighting and silhouetted figures have a mysterious effect on the audience, creating an enigma as we wonder what will happen next. The fast drumming and guitar strumming builds up, also adding to the mood as the music elevates. There are quick shots of the band’s instruments letting us know that this is a performance music video. Though this is a live performance video, it does not follow the exact conventions of one, where the band would be performing to a live crowd. As the band is hidden in darkness and not facing us the audience, it makes this video more impersonal and the audience are disconnected from what could be a more intimate performance. I think the Arctic Monkeys have chosen to obscure themselves and not use direct mode of address because the song is about this man Brian, and the song is about him rather than having any personal reference to any of the band members.
So the song has a narrative structure too which is not represented in a conventional way. The band’s performance cuts to a pixelated, patterned background, fast cuts switch from the band to a group of female dancers against the colourful flashing backdrop. The fast cuts are typical of the Hip Hop and Rock genres in music video not really Indie Rock, and flashing lights are more commonly seen in Pop/Hip Hop. The female dancers’ provocative dance moves and outfits are similar to those in again the Hip Hop genre and the sexuality of the choreography, emphasised by the fast cuts and close ups of sexy parts attribute to male gaze. The visuals illustrate the lyrics of the song, for example the first line "Brian, top marks for tryin’… there is an image of a man who must be the Brian character. As well as ordinary photographs that have been put in the video, there is black and white archive footage and animations adding to the narrative. The contrast of the musical genre and the conventions they have used make the video original and artistic in developing and challenging the conventions.
Jasmine.
