The Band Explains: Heir - 'After Forever'
Leeds DIY indie pop outfit Heir speak to us about their music video for infectious single, ‘After Forever’, seeing the band go back to school with amusing results!
Where was the video for ‘After Forever’ filmed?
We shot the video at a studio called Big Brown Door Studios situated at the bottom of a very unassuming street of terraced houses just outside of Leeds. Most people probably walk right by completely unawares to all the magic that goes on inside! It’s Tardis-esque.
How does the video connect with the song?
’After Forever’ is a song built around the inspiration we’ve taken from the stories left untold. Not every promising first chapter results in a happily-ever-after. We wanted to give value to the moments that are usually dismissed as fleeting or sometimes even failures. I guess the video symbolises that broader idea that love doesn’t have rules or structure.
Any behind the scenes stories you could share with us?
Nothing too wild or whacky really. I think we were all quite focused on getting the job done as we only had the studio for a day. Shot 24 were a delight to work with so everything was pretty smooth. Although the reading scene offered up a good challenge scenes in keeping straight faces. The book that Samuel was reading to us was in fact a Disney songbook and my word his spoken word rendition of Bare Necessities was something to behold.
Can you tell us about the ideas/themes/imagery used?
A lot of our songwriting is born out of pondering and intrigue. Descartes’ ‘I think, therefore I am’ was somewhere in the notes when writing the song I think. We all have a tendency to get very analytical about our everyday lives, sometimes to no avail but every now and again those trains of thought lead to songs. We wanted something that embodied this habit we share whilst also just being a bit of fun. Ste had the excellent idea of setting the whole thing in a classroom and depicting love’s complexity through the medium of school subjects. Aesthetics and stylised artistry may have made way for light hearted silliness with this one but a sprinkling of silliness is one of our favourite ways to season the day.
What do you hope people take away from watching the video?
We hope people take good feeling. Ultimately the song is a message of positivity and joy and if the video can help spread that message then we will be happy boys. It also doubles up as a fantastic tutorial video for any teachers out there who may be looking for new interactive lesson plans.
Interview feature by Karla Harris