Editors - Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors

What this video is

Released in June 2007 as the lead single from Editors' second album 'An End Has a Start,' this video arrives at a pivotal inflection point in British indie rock — the moment when a generation of post-punk revival bands (Editors, Interpol, Bloc Party) began trading claustrophobic urban minimalism for larger, more emotionally expansive stadium-ready sounds. The Prague-shot narrative, with its fugitive girl,…

Why it matters

A defining artefact of the mid-2000s post-punk revival's arena phase, 'Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors' captures the genre's pivot from angular, guitar-driven introversion toward orchestral, choir-swelled emotional maximalism. The video's cinematic production values, surrealist narrative…

The director

Arni & Kinski are an Icelandic directing duo based in Reykjavík who have worked in music videos, TV commercials, short films, documentaries, and art installations since the early 1990s. Their notable music video clients include Sigur Rós, Jónsi, Iggy Pop,…