Foals - Cassius

What this video is

Released in early 2008 as the second single from Foals' debut album Antidotes on Transgressive Records, 'Cassius' arrived at the peak of the UK dance-punk and math-rock revival. The song's title references both Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) and Cassius the Roman conspirator — dual symbols of duplicity and split identity — themes that informed the video's theatrical, prop-laden staging. Foals emerged from Oxford's…

Why it matters

A canonical entry in the UK Dance-Punk Revival, 'Cassius' exemplifies the genre's fusion of angular math-rock guitar work with dancefloor propulsion. Peaking at #26 on the UK Singles Chart, it demonstrated that Foals' abrasive rhythmic complexity could cross into mainstream indie visibility. The…

The director

Dave Ma is a photographer and director who established himself after relocating to London. He has shot portraits of artists including Nick Cave, Sonic Youth, The 1975, and Alan Moore, and collaborated extensively with Foals across press campaigns and…