Travis - Side

What this video is

Released in August–September 2001, 'Side' arrived at the apex of Travis's commercial power following the UK number-one album The Invisible Band and the crossover success of 'Sing.' The UFO-narrative video reflects a broader early-2000s trend of British alt-rock acts investing in cinematic, concept-driven videos that transcended simple performance clips. Produced by Nigel Godrich, the song's philosophical theme —…

Why it matters

A key artifact of the post-Britpop consolidation era, demonstrating how Scottish alternative rock absorbed American cinematic video-making conventions. The UFO concept video format bridges the narrative ambition of late-1990s Smashing Pumpkins/REM videos (the same directors' domain) with the more…

The director

Husband-and-wife directing team (Jonathan Dayton b. July 7, 1957; Valerie Faris b. October 20, 1958) who began careers on MTV's groundbreaking show The Cutting Edge. They directed music videos for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., Oasis, and…