Ian Roderick Gray tackles body horror through a poignant lens, in his affecting promo for On Man. The concept for Survive This focus on John, a man who is ravaged by a gruesome mutation affecting much of his upper body. After waking to find it has grown drastically and painfully overnight, and believing it to be terminal, he decides to end his life and die on his own terms, much to the anger of his longtime partner. In the same vein as the previous collaboration between artist and director Worse Than It Seems - which saw a woman afflicted with an extra eye in her skin - Gray has a knack at tackling complex narratives and themes through body horror elements, and this is another project that knocks it out of the park. In a nutshell, the video is a powerfully moving and uncompromising depiction of assisted suicide, exploring themes of love, mercy, dignity and mortality.I felt a responsibility to create a visual that would do justice to the haunting music."When On Man approached me to direct the music video for his latest single, I knew that I wanted to try and create another hybrid between drama and music video, but in a more refined way than our last effort," says the director."When he first played me the song I was overwhelmed. It was so incredibly raw and powerful and genuinely emotionally evocative. I definitely felt a heavy responsibility to create a visual that would do justice to the haunting music and to some extent, the song dictated the approach of the video."We bounced around some ideas and after reading an article about a tragic number of illegally performed assisted suicides that had occurred in France amongst elderly couples, some of whom were living with terminal conditions, I pitched an idea that was inspired by one specific story - and also from my experience of living with an illness. As a Type 1 Diabetic, this was also an opportunity to explore what it is like to live with a condition and how the condition itself can often be more of a burden for the people around you than for yourself."Survive This is a deeply personal music video to both myself and On Man - who added his own ideas and we wrote the script together. It has become one of the most rewarding projects I’ve been involved with."

Director trio Bleu Desert create an unsettling and controversial promo for French rap group S-Crew. The immersive concept follows a police car during a night-time patrol in Paris, cleverly shot using only interior and exterior car mounts, depicts the BAC (Anti-Criminality Brigade of the National Police) antagonising and abusing various people on the street - and planting evidence on their targets.The latter part of the clip sees the payback - the vehicle is vehicle commandeered by the S-Crew themselves, who take it on their own tour of the neighbourhood - and building to a fiery climax. Shot on 35mm to give the video a raw, cinematic aesthetic, this stirring and thought-provoking video is a must-watch introduction to an exciting new directing collective.

Truman & Cooper return to music video with a brilliantly gripping narrative piece for UK rapper Bourne. The rising Nottingham-based artist is shown journeying across Europe, on the run from his problems, whilst also spiralling into a hedonistic cycle of booze, sex and violence. The cinematic aesthetic is elevated by a minacious undercurrent of fear and trepidation, achieved through a breathless edit which reflects the emotional rollercoaster Bourne is experiencing. Terrific stuff.

As a bunch of old friends cling on through the final hours of a houseparty, Murkage Dave makes a timely appearance in Ricky Gibb';s perceptive and wonderfully performed video for Us Lot.This has been framed by Gibb as a comedy drama with dialogue leading into the track, featuring the interaction between five twenty-something friends, who have become less close through the passage of time, then finding a moment to come together again with the mysterious help of Murkage Dave. And this really does feel like a party in the final stages after its been going for several hours, with the characters in various states of mind, from the guy enthusing about crypto, to the blissed-out raver, to the individual sweating on the sofa riding out a bad trip - and seeing Murkage Dave materialise once the track goes on the speakers.Gibb reveals that the video came from a lot of brainstorming between himself and Dave - pretty much since they first worked together two years ago, on the video for Miles from Kinshasa's Motions. "It's the second time Dave and I have worked together on a music video: although based on the endless conversations and concepts we’ve bounced off of one another over the past two years it feels as though we've created a hundred projects together," he says."For me, the lyrical content is always the first jumping-off point when developing the idea, and Dave’s words are an absolute joy to respond to creatively. "He paints such vulnerable, personable, and relatable images; something I seek to do within my own work too. "In my own life, it has felt harder and harder to see friends and maintain connections. This is something that weighs on me heavily. Studying the sentiments expressed in Us Lot really reminded me that some bonds will always remain, despite how infrequently we may get to see one another."This felt like quite an unusual one to approach from a logistical recording perspective on the day; the idea that each of them was inextricably entwined, although seemingly severed in the space. With the strength of an incredibly talented cast - Victoria Nwaesei as Dom, Will Stevens as Earl, Alex Flick as Oscar, Rosie Goddard as Maisey, Derrick Methu as Bigz - and crew (including Joshua Fry as DOP, Tomasso Colleli on Steadicam), we were able to run the entire video through start to finish akin to a theatre show, and really allow the cast to explore their characters and the space equally in front of us.”He has done a great job with this, his first video since signing to KODE. An auspicious beginning which bodes very well for the future.

A day from Hell just won't let up, in Hector Dockrill's tragic promo for Chase & Status and BackRoad Gee. The video for When It Rains features actor Jack McMullen as a down-on-his-luck everyman, trying to go about his day to day life to disastrous effect. It all starts with an antagonistic phone call and a cigarette lit the wrong way, and builds to a high-octane climax full of suspense, blood, chase scenes and the opportunity for the character to finally get the nicotine hit he's gagging for. Brilliant work which anchors on McMullen's performance and a Dockrill's keen eye for narrative.

A young man battles with small town life, in Matthew Thorne's second video for The Howl and The Hum.Blending documentary and fiction worlds, the video in set within the beautiful Rhondda Valley of South Wales. Inspired by Small Fry, written by Hannah Lad, the concept explores themes of brotherhood, fatherhood and masculine connection, and is interspersed with portraits of real people from the community. Shot on 16mm, the video looks absolutely beautiful, and the remarkable locations add a real sense of scale to the project. The performances are brilliant all-round - particularly from Kyle Stead, who plays the central character - and the relatable themes are as authentic as they emotionally absorbing.

Jordan Coolbear directs an emotionally-charged promo for Jimmy Herrity.The video for Simple Things explores love, loss and loneliness. Trapped under a sea of grief, we see Jimmy fantasise about a chance to meet his brother just one more time.The focus on water and fluid textures parallel the waves of emotion Jimmy is experiencing, and the dramatic performance perfectly encapsulates the effect the loss has had on the artist. A brilliant grade acts as a final polish to the concept, by top colourist (and Jordan's brother) Connor Coolbear.

Yes, this really is a music video for rock legends Deep Purple. They're back with a just-released new album called Turning To Crime, and Dan Gibling's video for Oh Well pays homage to cinematic heist films of yesteryear, and a classic video to boot.Interweaving a somewhat tongue-in-cheek narrative with playful performances and glossy cinematography, the concept is charming and a great visual accompaniment to the band's faithful cover version of the Fleetwood Mac blues classic.The masked band cause mild mayhem as they bolt around in a vintage transit van, meeting some familiar faces along the way. This involves chasing down 60s-era Bob Dylan in a fashion inspired by Jonathan Glazer video for Radiohead's Karma Police. The swagger and groove of the tune is immense - it screamed cinematic narrative film ideas to me. And while members of the original line-up are revealed - lead by frontman Ian Gillan - the lo-fi visual effects on the mysterious 'Scribble Face' character heighten the mystery, adding another unexpected twist."For a band famous for 'not doing videos', it was a huge honour to have this legendary rock band agree to appear in our music film," says Dan Gibling. "The concept was all written around the theme of their new album Turning to Crime, and as with the album paying homage to all their influences, this narrative concept gave me the chance to pay homage to some of my favourite heist/outlaw/criminal gang films and favourite music videos."The film is littered with easter eggs for the beady eyed, but I hope also works as just a visual ride that compliments this amazing blues rock track. The swagger and groove of the tune is immense - it screamed cinematic narrative film ideas to me, and so this is what it became."With the help of DoP Sam Gott and his team and some beautiful anamorphic lenses - the whole film was shot on a 25mm - we have hopefully created a slice of musical cinema that is worthy of this level of rock royalty. Massive thanks to the label who trusted me and let me run loose with this story. It was simply a pleasure from start to finish."