Director duo Grandmas present a bold, surreal vision for Hurts, with a striking juxtaposition of human emotion and exotic birdlife. Hurts frontman Theo Hutchcraft is a wild, overwrought presence, striding purposefully through a city at night, thrown into shapes and distortions by the track. The city is mostly empty, apart from the sporadic appearance of spectacular ornothology: flamingo, vulture, and stork.The birds represent the themes of toxic love and regrowth described in the passionate track Somebody: the carrion-pecking vulture embodies the idea of parasitic love; the flamingo, represents the colourful and limitless vision of what could be on the horizon; and the stork, displays the opportunity for a new beginning.At some points Hutchcraft seems to be taking on the mannerisms of the birds, in a stand-out, intense performance, as he powers through the night. And the cinematic feel of the piece is elevated by striking cinematography - care of DoP Nick Morris - and off-kilter choreography, perfectly encapsulating the painful transition from a toxic past to an optimistic future.
Rob Ulitski - 7th Aug 2020