Arctic Monkeys - Leave Before The Lights Come On

What this video is

Released in August 2006, 'Leave Before the Lights Come On' arrived in the white-hot aftermath of Arctic Monkeys' record-breaking debut album, 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not' (January 2006). The single was the band's third UK release and their first not to reach number one, peaking at number four on the UK Singles Chart. It was also the band's final release before second-album promotional activity…

Why it matters

This video is a landmark in mid-2000s British indie music video production for its rejection of band performance conventions in favour of actor-driven cinematic narrative. Its use of Sheffield locations as authentic dramatic space, rather than stylised backdrop, established a visual template for…

The director

John Hardwick (born 1965) is a British television and film director who grew up on Merseyside and studied American Studies at Swansea University and Louisiana State University. He transitioned into visual media through music video directing in the late…