Kieran Evans’ longstanding creative collaboration with the Manic Street Preachers continues with this promo for International Blue – the first single from the band's forthcoming album Resistance Is Futile – shot in Nice in France, birthplace of artist Yves Klein, and inspiration for a song described by MSP's Nicky Wire as the European sequel to their early 90s hit Motorcycle Emptiness.  

To tie in with the album artwork of Samurai warriors and Evans’ visual concept for the campaign, it features a Japanese woman, lost amongst the streets and spaces in the city, searching for the most perfect blue. The narrative elements are intercut with striking portraits of the band in and around the same places the character visits before ending up at the sunset shores of the Mediterranean.

Shot in 2:39:1 (or as Evans and the band have termed it ‘widescreen melancholia'), Liam White's cinematography utilises beautifully composed shots of the band, character and locations around the city, and Clare Winters' grade gives the promo a vivid visual dimension and atmosphere - and includes many shades of blue.