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ROYKSOPP’S BUG NIGHT OUT

A retrospective look at the Norwegian electronic music duo’s visual output (BFI Southbank, Fri 11th Feb 2011)

This was the first ‘BUG’ event I’ve been to and, if this one’s anything to go by, consider me a convert of David Bellamy proportions. For the uninitiated, the sub-heading – ‘The Evolution of Music Video’ – gives you the gist.

Music videos can be a rich source of creative expression and BUG’s very objective is to showcase awe-inspiring new work in music videos on the big screen. It’s fitting also that it’s hosted by ‘Takeover TV’-maestro, music video fanatic and, all-round comedic hero of mine, Adam Buxton.

This show differed slightly in that it looked back over the career of Röyksopp and their various creative collaborations through video. In short, it went a bit like this: Adam Buxton delivered his inimitable brand of discursive bumpf. He played music videos and brought up the respective YouTube comments (which were a sort of eyes-streaming-with-tears type of funny, often due to the stupidity of said comments). Adam then interviewed the band – by his own admission he’s a terrible interviewer which leads to a whole brand of comedy in its own right. A DJ set from the band then followed with the BFI Benugo Bar becoming a sort of wanton mini-club. The many unsuspecting drinkers perched on sofas looked a bit bemused by wave after wave of booze-fuelled dancers. Which was, again, pretty funny in its own right.

Although it’s a situation I’ve redressed rapidly since, I hadn’t massively followed Röyksopp’s musical development since their early days. Shame on me. And, importantly, more fool me. The videos themselves were of an exceedingly high standard; many of these being part of a BUG/Genero TV music video competition for last year’s LP, ‘Senior’, (in turn, a partner piece for 2009′s ‘Junior’). Röyksopp’s blend of electronic music is perfect for visual accompaniment and really taps into the ability of budding directors to push their interpretative boundaries. The majority of the videos from the night can be checked out at vimeo.com/album/1530961 with the overall (IMHO deserved) winner (for the track; ‘The Alcoholic’) here. Winners for the individual tracks can be viewed here. What’s clear is that each track has inspired a real outpouring of creativity and allowed for some truly intriguing narratives to be composed. I thoroughly recommend a watch. Or two. Or…you get the idea.

BUG represents a truly unique exposition; it takes place in the perfect environment to play the types of creative content that could easily, and regrettably, go unseen otherwise. In the era of the modern pop-video, it’s a marked change from blandness. Yet, it’s an event that never gets lost in pomposity. Indeed, it is funny and, above all else, entertaining. If you haven’t already checked out one of these events, make haste. Without doubt, the A/V-entomologist’s quest is a richly rewarding one.

Words: Ben Nicholas
Photography: Tim Ferguson