Arctic Monkeys - Fluorescent Adolescent

What this video is

Released in mid-2007 at the apex of the second British indie rock wave, 'Fluorescent Adolescent' arrived during Arctic Monkeys' period of rapid international expansion following their record-breaking debut. The video's deployment of clown gangs in a period-dressed, gritty northern English industrial setting draws on a tradition of British kitchen-sink cinema and 1970s crime drama, filtered through a theatrical…

Why it matters

A landmark video in the canon of British indie rock visual culture, 'Fluorescent Adolescent' elevated music video storytelling within the genre by commissioning a fully formed short film with professional actors and a cohesive cinematic aesthetic. Its influence is evident in subsequent British…

The director

Richard Ayoade (born 23 May 1977) is a British comedian, actor, writer, director, and presenter. He studied at the University of Cambridge, where he was president of the Footlights club. He is widely known for playing Maurice Moss in Channel 4's The IT Crowd…