Always Like This – Bombay Bicycle Club / Music Video Analysis

The first thing I noticed when I watched the video is the first image on the screen is of “white noise” from old VCR tapes. This instantly gives the feel that the song and indeed the video is going to have a retro feel to it. I also gathered that it was aimed towards teenagers of my age because my generation was the last to grow up watching VCR tapes.

The next section of the video focuses on various shots of a suburban area which later on we realise links in to the rest of the song. The song talks about going home and we can establish that these images of a suburban town are representing the bands home and how they started here but eventually move on, as later on in the video they are moving to various places. The fact that things such as a roundabouts and swings are shown adds an element of childhood to the video which could be an extra message

within the song.

When the lead singer first appears in the video we see that he does not look like the typical rock star. This matches the genre of the song as it is indie-rock and the band members dress like normal people. His hair is not very neat which is also implies that he is not one for living the rockstar life. He and his band want to create good music for his fans and not care about anything else is what I got from this shot, especially as it is the first time we see a member of the band in the video. I think this was a good way to introduce the singer as it shows that he does not want to be seen as a “popstar” and wants to be seen as a normal everyday guy.

We then see shots of the guitarist and bassist of the band. As with the singer they do not seem to have a “rockstar persona” as such as they look like everyday normal people. One thing I noticed was the bassist walked straight past the screen and we bairly see his face. This could represent how bassists are usually seen as the least favoured in a band, as people focus mainly on the lead guitar and singer, as well as the drummer. There are two separate shots of the lead guitarist which also backs up this statement as he gets more coverage than the bassist.

The last member of the band we see is the drummer and as we first see him the drums kick in. This could be a metaphor for how important the drumming is in the song as the band members are all in the same shot after the drummer begins to play, meaning that everything is now together. There isnt really a narritive at this point as the band members are all just walking about and it is not clear at this point exactly what is going on.

Within the video there are a lot of shots of various parts of the band (hands, waist etc) and I think this represents the main theme of the song, feeling whole. It is about not feeling fullfilled with something and the shots which do not show the full body represent this

very well. Once again, these shots show us that the band members wear normal indie clothing which is something that is focused on in these shots. I think that the theme of the song as well as this message of being normal mix well together and give meaning to these fragmented shots.

There are then lots of different areas used in the song such as a parking lot and a shop. The shop gives a very british feel to the video as there is the alcohol section visible in the same shot as chocolate bars. This looks live the average off license shop which are all over Britain as it feels very small but obviously has a lot of things on offer. This “british” shot helps the band image as they are directly linking in where they are from to the song which helps give the band an image.

At the end of the song we return back to the original urban layout that was present at the start of the video. It is also once all the lyrics have been sang that we return to this setting which could imply that they are happy to be back and everything has been resolved. The song is about wanting something because you are not feeling whole, and the fact they are now back where they started could imply that they are still in the same place that they have always been – they are still not whole and are still searching for more. This is what I got from the video as it seems to get a lot less upbeat at the end which could symbolise how during the song they began to think they would find what they where looking for, however at the end when they return to where they started they realise they do not feel whole and are still searching.