Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oli Sykes reanimates the Japanese monster movie genre in his thoroughly entertaining video for Obey - co-starring fellow Brit rocker Yungblud. Taking inspiration from Mecha - giant robots controlled by humans, popularised in Japanese anime and concepts such as Power Rangers and Transformers - the video pits Sykes' robot, towering over the city below, against Yungblud's punkier, spikier humanoid nemesis. All hell ensues when they confront each other - building to a disarming (and hilarious) final twist.With the spot-on production design by Dale Oliver Slater, and sterling work on robot wardrobe and makeup by Natasha Lawes, DoP Dan Stafford-Clark pays homage to the Japanese source material (and possibly Beastie Boys' Intergalactic too) while adding a contemporary flair of his own.Then VFX work at Creep Post put excellent finishing touches to Sykes' vision. Talking about the meaning behind the video and the track, he says: "We consider ourselves free but only because the chains are invisible, and we are controlled in ways we don't even want to think about. They tell us how to live with a smile on their face - like shit ain't fucked up, inform us of tragic statistics like its nothing… it’s a weird world."2020 is the year where we’re all being challenged by a deep and dark reality, but it’s also feeling like a time of hope and positivity. Our generation is waking up, realising what’s being conveyed, what we’re being sheltered from, and with that comes empowerment. We are being controlled in ways we don’t even want to think about, but with knowledge comes strength, and choices.. and the music video represents all of that."I wanted to add a real sense of nostalgia to the music video also to deliver such heavy lyrical content as a reminder of simpler times, and I’ve always been a huge fan of anime such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, so creating a blend of that, Power rangers and Godzilla was a super fun and creative shoot."
Rob Ulitski - 4th Sept 2020