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PREMIERE: Boy bands and highways, Splendidid get goofy in Westgate

Remember when the world collectively went through an insane boy band craze. At some point circa 1998 people decided that auto-tune and dorky synchronised dance moves were the ‘in’ thing, a trend that dominated pop music well into the 2000s. What was the most powerful thing about these bands was the imagery they used, particularly in their music videos. They oozed sex appeal and it drove the fans wild. While that era has given way to the superstar DJ, there is a trace of that simpler time to be found in Melbourne band Splendidid and their clip for Westgate.

Splendidid Westgate

Are you ready to unleash your inner 2000s boy band superstar? Splendidid are, and they’ve done so brilliantly in the humorous clip for Westgate.

Okay, okay, Splendidid isn’t actually a boy band. They’re a five-piece dream-pop band from good old Brunswick and they’re on the cusp of releasing their album Easy Trip, which is due out November 17. Westgate is a breezy little number, carried by carefree guitars and vocals that are well suited to a lullaby. Crank this bad boy when you have you’re cruising in your convertible with the top down on a sunny day. Or stick your head out the window, it’s basically the same feeling.

Now, the clip for Westgate is an entirely different matter. Five men, wearing all white, dancing and fooling around the highways of Melbourne. At first you may think “Why?“, but by the end you’ll be exclaiming “Why not?You have to love a good DIY video, and the band have done well to capture a silly yet endearing vibe. Speaking to frontman Zac Terry, he confirms that the boy band look was no fluke. “The backstreets boys were definitely involved, so were N-SYNC” he says. “I just said ‘Lets make this music video boy band style’ and everyone cringed but were secretly super excited. The idea though has not much relevance to the song, I just wanted to wear all white.”

I’ve been told by fashion forward friends that all white is in right now, so nice one there guys. The clip was filmed and produced by the band and their label Breathlessness, with various locations including different freeways around Melbourne and the Westgate bridge. Speaking of the filming Terry said “We didn’t actually have any camera tech or anything. We mainly just pressed the record button on a tripod hoping we would be in the frame.”

The shots with just me, I was actually the only one there. I went out one day and filmed myself explicitly dancing in public. Which was taken well by the families trying to enjoy their picnics and not so well by the ‘macho’ fishermen who thought I was trying to perform some weird spiritual yoga.”

Splendidid’s album Easy Trip will be released soon, with the band planning on a launch show in December followed by some travels up and down the east coast, followed by more videos. If they’re anything like this one, then we’re all in for a treat.