Image by Stuart Tholen
Rockshot are pleased to premiere the video for Ali In The Jungle’s latest release, Drunk Generation. The Milton Keynes based, 4-piece indie/alternative rock band, have been swapping instruments and jumpers in front of live audiences since 2013. People enjoy trying to pin down their genre-hopping sound, which ranges from indie and piano-pop, to jazzy ballads and art-rock. They are energetic stage performers with an arsenal of catchy choruses and riffs, always retaining their signature sense of wordplay. The band recently supported Beans On Toast just before the virus took hold to the world and the lockdown took effect.
We think that Drunk Generation, which is taken from the Ali In The Jungle’s first EP, Anyway, is a slice of fun, that will cheer up the lockdown blues. With it’s witty lyrics, which are encapsulated in the video in a sort of DIY (Drink It Yourself) Subterranean Homesick Blues, and catchy chorus, we can see this becoming a favourite, once the band get back into the big wide world again.
They told Rockshot ‘Making this video was a lot like making Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope… which is well documented to have been made under remarkably tight restrictions, and was a production which experienced extreme budgetary and scheduling issues. We had a budget of £30, and made the video in lockdown, so just like George Lucas we had to make use of what we had. The only actor was the cinematographer’s hand, as we directed the video over FaceTime, and improvised with some napkins left over from New Year’s, loads of pens which were running out of ink, and the beer in the fridge. The result is hopefully something which encapsulates the feeling of sitting at the bar and getting blind drunk – for all those people who can’t do it at the moment. But I guess people can’t drink in Mos Eisley Cantina either…”
Image by Stuart Tholen
“It was important for us to make a lyric video that felt real and analogue, rather than animated, as we wanted it to have that raw feel, in order to capture a sense of real place. On top of this we didn’t make thing easy for ourselves, the whole video being a single take. We wanted as much love and detail to go into the simple concept, so we had a lot of fun with the napkins and also made the writing on them reflect the drunken state of the character in the song; the writing becoming less legible, and by the end no longer shows the same lyrics as in the song, adding drama and extra depth. I think the character goes through about 5 pints too…”
We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
