The Artist Explains: Finn Anderson - 'The Wee Hours'

Finn Anderson talks us through the magic, cabaret and mystique of his visuals for ‘The Wee Hours’ which encourages avoiding making preconceived judgements about people or situations.

Where was the video for 'The Wee Hours' filmed?
We shot at night on the streets in central London, and at a theatre in north London.

How does the video connect with the song?
Firstly, I hope the video connects to the song by being lively, fun, theatrical and unexpected. A possible message of the track is to look beyond how things first appear, and also to allow ourselves time and space to step away from the noise of life and ask ourselves big and difficult questions. The video takes a lighter and more magical approach, walking the streets at night and seeing as passersby transform into circus and cabaret performers - showing how things may not always be what they seem. The shots in the theatre create a dreamlike space for the chorus (“midnight dreams and shooting stars”)

Do you have any behind the scenes stories you could share with us?
A lot of the video features me walking through the streets, speaking directly to the camera - including crossing a few roads. The whole film was shot on a DIY scale and budget, so my friend had to act as a traffic warden stopping buses, bicycles and cars so I could keep on walking undisturbed. She also had to hold an umbrella for the camera person, and to stop him walking into lamp posts!

Can you tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
The circus, magic and cabaret performers in the video suggest something surreal and warped, hidden below the surface, but also something fun and magical. We’ve used illusion, make-up and various costumes to explore the theme of transformation and of how things evolve differently from how they might first appear. This part of the video acts as a kind of parallel world to the street scenes. Also in a literal sense, we’ve kept the lighting and setting all very night-time focused, in keeping with the title and lyrics of the song.

What do you hope people take away from watching the vid?
I hope they might be inspired to look beyond first appearances of people, things and assumptions. and I hope they will be entertained, maybe even groove a little.

Interview feature by Karla Harris