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Black Country, New Road 'Besties' by Rianne White

David Knight - 7th Feb 2025

Esoteric alt-rock band Black Country, New Road are back, and Rianne White's video for the first single from upcoming album Forever Howlong celebrates the bonds between best friends - and the lengths they will go to be with each other.

At the start of the video for Besties, three bandmembers - Georgia Ellery, Tyler Hyde and May Kershaw - are at a different communal event where something exciting is happening: Georgia at a firework display, Tyler giving a piano recital, May at her own birthday party. But at a key moment, each of them decide they have to leave, to wander off into the night - over fields, through streets, tripping over dogs - heading to where they would prefer to be: with each other.

Heralding the band's new musical direction, Rianne White's charming film conjures a world of gentle quirkiness, championing individuality within a cozy, smalltown community - and ultimately delivering a very good punchline.

We found the beating heart of a world made better by chasing love and connection.

"Besties came into my world with a dance of feelings, with such an understood concept of exploring the core emotion of taking on the world, and its obstacles to be with her, the bestie, again," she says.

"Building this with the band took me to so many memories, informed by a collective of experiences from my own childhood, writing letters and maps to my bestie, into formulating our own map and Sliding Doors-effect narrative - charged with the instinctual punch and intuition of - I need to be with my bestie now.

"Working with Georgia, May and Tyler was a real treat across their performances especially, and quite literally, running from the more conventional lip-sync world, and injecting little cameo moments with Charlie, Lewis and Luke.

"Knee high in January’s jacket of mud, darkness, fields, street corners and a pack of hounds we found the beating heart of a world made better by chasing love and connection. It’s been such a pleasure, this song was love at first harpsichord!"

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David Knight - 7th Feb 2025

Tags

  • Comedy
  • Director's notes
  • Narrative
  • Pick of the Day
  • Alternative
  • Friendship

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Credits

Featured here in the credits?

Production/Creative

Director
Rianne White
Producer
Charlie J Doherty
Production Company
Executive Producer
Dan Matthews
Production Manager
Tash Walker
1st AD
Charlie J Doherty
Creative Director
Ginny Davies, Georgia Ellery

Camera

Director of Photography
Adam Singodia
Focus Puller
Ollie Pearson Pajtra
2nd AC
Ana-marija Ramić

Lighting/Grip

Gaffer
Jed Clist
Spark
Jed Turner, Russell Charrett

Art

Production designer
Syd Harmony
Art Assistant
Will Atkins

Choreography

Movement Director
Rianne White

Editorial

Editor
Rianne White

Grading

Colour Producer
Clementine Beck
Colourist
Dan Levy
Colour grade company
Rascal Post

Agent

Director's Representation

Commission

Commissioner
John Moule
Label
Ninja Tune

David Knight - 7th Feb 2025

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