The song demanded it, so Ben Falk, Kano and their DoP Tom Turley travelled the length and breadth of his home country on a five-day, 1000-plus mile road trip, to bring Kano's rich portrait that is This Is England to vibrant life.

From Land's End to Hadrian's Wall – via East London, Cheddar Gorge, Liverpool, Blackpool and Newcastle – the video sets Kano's impassioned performance in England as he sees it: the pubs, arcades, raves, trailer parks, caffs, sea shores, tea houses, football pitches, dog races, graffiti, train journeys, and much more.

Then editor Ryan Beck had the challenging task of turning the documentary footage into a music video, and has done an excellent job. 

BEN FALK:

"Kano was really eager for us to cover the length and breadth of his homeland, for the track. He imagined an epic road trip starting at Land’s End and finishing at Hadrian’s Wall, documenting the real England. I immediately shared this vision and there was a real excitement about what could be done to bring the idea to life.

"To compliment Kano’s lyrics, we looked to highlight the distinct landscapes, the economic and social divides, the diversity of the people and capture something of what Englishness is. So with Kano, his manager and a skeleton three-man crew we embarked on a five-day, 1051 mile, road trip across the country.

"To start, we set the tone at Bethnal Green’s E. Pellicci, a proper English caff; the owners delighted to be filming with a real East End lad who’s made a name for himself. 

"Shooting this documentary-style music video afforded us a lot of freedom. We were able to react quickly to impromptu moments, adapt and tweak the shoot along the way. In a foggy Cheddar Gorge, with dwindling daylight, we used the break-lights of the van to key-light Kano. We walked into a Cornish teashop and got the owner in the film. With a little persuading, Blackpool Pleasure Beach opened up especially for the team. The Cornish pub band was happy to be filmed, despite making it clear they weren’t rap’s biggest fans. We met so many characters along the way, and *may* have jumped a few walls to get a few shots.

"In all it was an amazing journey from start to finish. Back home the talented Ryan Beck and James Tillett distilled the huge amount of DoP Tom Turley’s striking footage into a slick promo-doc, and something the whole team is hugely proud of."