A new generation of Irish film-makers are proving that there is an audience beyond late-night television music programming. In the last month alone the internet tubes have enabled some first-class music video and live performance work to be showcased from this country’s finest and most creative film-makers.
Anyone who has been paying attention to blogs and music sites over the past year or so will be familiar with Myles O’Reilly’s work. Predominantly shot in black and white, his videos capture the soul and ambiance of live performances from mostly experimental and alternative acts to whom the word ‘artist’ also signifies the deep creativity of their music.
O’Reilly’s site Arbutus Yarns is the repository of all his work to date featuring performances from James Vincent McMorrow, Janelle Monae, Julie Feeney, Amiina, Jennifer Evans, Tegan And Sara amongst many others. O’Reilly has also been shooting the recording diaries of Lisa Hannigan in the studio in Wales as she records her second solo album.
His latest work, no-doubt inspired by a live video he shot for State.ie (declaration of interest – I’m an editor of the site) of Villagers is his first proper music video for Domino Records and Villagers for the band’s latest single The Pact (I’ll Be Your Fever) (see below)
A close compatriot of O’Reilly’s, Steven Mogerley has also produced two brilliant live clips for State. The first appeared back in March and features rising star Anna Calvi showcase her significant trance-induced guitar skills live in The Workman’s Club. The latest clip is Lykke Li and band performing an acoustic version of her new single to a packed Tower Records crowd during Record Store Day.
Continuing with the live music theme, Greystones-based video production team Tiny Ark recently shot two sumptuous videos for the instrumental Wicklow band Enemies: one in which the venue Whelan’s never looked so good and the other a studio split-screen cut.
Back in the traditional music video format, recent Irish videos that have impressed include Fergal Brennan’s stop-motion video for the Dublin-born electronic producer Shit Robot for his Alexis Taylor-featuring single Losing My Patience, Ross Bradshaw’s zombie pukefest for Le Galaxie’s Midnight Midnight, Vincent Gallagher’s Run Lola Run-esque clip for Funeral Suits’ Colours Fade and Greg Corcoran’s latest for Kill Krinkle Club’s video series which is notable for its location, the romantic, gondola-filled surroundings of Venice.
Of course, regular late-night music TV content is now finding a home on the web too. Other Voices, the music series which has broadcast from a church in Dingle for nine years now has a Youtube channel which features performances from the last two years of the series from the likes of Richard Hawley, Super Furry Animals, José Gonzales, Lissie and many more.
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04/29/2011, 04:10 pm
For me, Myles OReillys work is far far too close to Vincent Moons work, maybe even some of the La Blogotheque work too, but mainly Moons.
The fact that Steven Mogerleys clip could be a M OReilly one reinforces that Moons work has become a template where you can copy or paste a performance in.
Not saying there’s no craft in it, but these videos are springing up in every major city so until he finds his feet and his own voice, it really is too close. I do look forward to his work though.
Another interesting point might have been where these “live” videos sit against the traditional videos and what the definition of an actual music video is today.
05/07/2011, 06:20 am
@bc8a6929ba991302463b58036b5c2e06:disqus Indeed Paul.
A friend showed me a Vincent moon video and and at that moment, without a doubt, I knew I wanted to do only that with my life. It was the Arctic Fire in a lift, and the Sigur Ros in a paris cafe videos that made me pour with tears of joy for the love of live music.
However, I never watched those videos again or any other Vincent moon videos but your right, there is a very pure and simple method that quickly bursts in to focus for otherwise amateur-consumer film-makers and I hope with the onset of digital SLR’s everyone is capturing what so easily gets lost in translation with regular consumer cameras. I hope everyone who figures out to attach an SLR lens to their video camera should go and Vincent Moon the shit out of it!!
…and you should watch the feature documentaries of Werner Herzog. It is he who is fully responsible for my leanings. You again have it right that I’d love to move forward in to such beautiful story based film expression and yes, find my own style which will inevitably happen, I hope, if I drive safe and quit smoking I might have a chance. The film will no doubt be a musical subject for that’s how my heart beats. awww..
Just shot a 9 year old Cambodian begger boy walking his blind fiddle playing father through the crazy streets of Phno Phen. So beautiful. Makes me so happy
05/07/2011, 01:05 pm
Well, fuckin sad too, but I suppose thats the point.