Deaf Havana // Hunstanton Pier
In this close analysis I will be looking at the opening two minutes of the music video to
"Hunstanton Pier" by Norfolk band
Deaf Havana. The video was directed by Duncan Rice and the single was taken from the band's album
"Fools and Worthless Liars" (2011) which also featured the singles
"I'm A Bore, Mostly", "The Past Six Years", and
"I Will Try". The band have are renowned for their dedicated fanbase and have recently gained popularity and attention with the release of their 2013 album
"Old Souls". The band come under arguably the broadest of genres at present, Rock, with their styles being likened to that of
Mallory Knox, Lower Than Atlantis and
Young Guns - bands that do not flaunt generic "rockstars" but instead, down-to-Earth individuals playing meaningful music. This is evident in the track
"Hunstanton Pier", as it is sometimes known as "the most beautiful homage" to a hometown, in this case the coastal town of Hunstanton, Norfolk, where lead singer James grew up. Commonly, rock bands, particularly more punk bands, sing about leaving their hometown, and so a tribute as warming as
"Hunstanton Pier" truly puts your hair on end. I will be discussing the significance of the videos opening minutes in relation to the visuals and lyrics, as well as other distinctive features of the music video.
The video begins with an establishing shot of a coastal region which, anyone familiar with the region, will recognise as the coastal resort of Hunstanton. Accompanied by the soft acoustic introduction, a series of panning shots follow to depict the region. The shots present pleasant scenery, with bright natural lighting and a variety of colours - the Union Jack allows for setting to be established and the low angle shot also immediately connotes patriotism and being proud of where you are from, a theme that is evident in the lyrics. The left to right panning shot on the beach [0:10] featuring the sunlight glinting off of the sea and the many seagulls flying away is a very picturesque shot that presents themes of warmth, and the general connotations of relaxation by the coast. This opening sequence of establishing shots allows the audience to get a feel for the location and perhaps what the song will be about, and also tells the audience that the video will be narrative based, further enhanced when a fade is used at 0:12 to indicate the beginning of the 'story'.
This notion of narration is enhanced here when the shot introduces James, perched on the porch of a beach hut, looking at the camera- a typical 'storyteller' pose, he is addressing the audience, and the opening lyric, "It was 2004 if I'm not mistaken" creates a very reminiscent tone that James is recalling something from many years ago, but "I'm not mistaken" indicates it is something quite close to his heart. The close up shots of James depict him talking, whereas in the song he is singing, creating a clear contrast and helping to establish the narration in the music video. More shots of the area follow for the rest of this line before the shot returns to James for when he says, "I had friends back then and a PMA to match". This past tense and usage of the acronym PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) indicates how much times have changed since this story, and how much he has changed as a person- people have come and gone and his mentality has changed, which the audience assumes will be explained in the rest of the song. The lyric, "We were young and out of touch, with the things we'd grow to hate so much in time" is James' way of expressing how as you grow up your viewpoint of so many things changes, and things that you used to enjoy as a child are nothing but a distant memory. As he sings this lyric, he is standing on the beach with the other members of the band as they look around, reminiscent of the times they used to spend here.
This theme of memories continues into the next verse, which opens with "Back when my hair was long and Phil was still alive, we spent our days trying to speak to the girls who left us weak." The lyrics here link with the visuals of the video as James is shown walking through an open field filled with flowers, one of which he picks, perhaps a homage to his friend Phil who is remembering or to connote the despairing attempts of love indicated by "the girls who left us weak", as typically the male would give the female flowers as a sign of affection. As in the first verse, a series of close ups of James on the porch are used, which Goodwin's theories suggest are to create a "star image" of the performer, and also helps to portray James as humble. He continues to reflectively sing about how people leave, for one reason or another: "my friends been laid to rest", an intertextual reference to Phil from the previous line, and "the ones who let us in are pushing prams or raising twins" suggests a lot of the people that he used to know from his time in his hometown now have families and are raising children. The continued usage of the filters and other special effects enhance the warm atmosphere and location.
The song then progresses to the chilling pre-chorus, where James sings "to tell you the truth" - in the video, he is looking away from the camera, and this suggests that instead of just addressing the audience through looking at the camera, he is instead telling someone else - this usage of voyeurism is to perhaps show that James is actually addressing anybody and everybody with his monologue, and this shows how strongly he feels about what he is saying. The video then clearly links lyrics with visuals, as it cuts to a zoom out of a night time cityscape as he sings "I'd be lying if I said I didn't hate the city". To some, this expansive shot that captures the illuminations of a city, unknown to the audience but recognisable to most as London (1:24, St. Paul's Cathedral far right, Canary Wharf left), the capital of the country. James then sings, "I need the pier and the fresh sea air of the town that made me [who I am].", as the shot cuts back to images of the sea at Hunstanton. This poignant line indicates how appreciative James is of his hometown and how as he has grown, he has been forced to leave the region that he loved and move to the city which he 'grew to hate in time'. At 1:29, a shot is held in a location by the coast (along a Groyne) as a long period of the day is filmed and then sped up to create a montage effect- interestingly, I feel this image replicates the business of a city that James' says he does not like, but due to it being by the coast, the concept is entirely different, it is where he feels at home.
"To tell you the truth I'd be lying if I said I didn't hate the city, I need the pier and the fresh sea air of the town that made me who I am"
The final section I will be looking at is the renowned passionate chorus that has reduced many a crowd to tears. In the opening section, the chorus is sung over the acoustic backing that has been a constant throughout the opening few minutes, whereas later in the song it becomes an anthemic, powerful piece. The visuals return back to where James is telling his story, showing further usage of Goodwin's ideas about voyeurism and star image motifs, as he sings "In my heart and in my soul", which implies to the audience that he is undoubtedly certain that what he is saying is truthful. In a manner which is warming to the audience, James' soft voice sings "all the people that I've known, and the places I've called home" as the video captures different scenarios in the town and different people - two men enjoying themselves at a pub, a couple at a small stall, and a man smiling into the camera at the park- this creates an atmosphere of community, that everyone here in the town gets along and treats each other as family, and is happy where they are. They could be recollections of James' past, "the people that [he's] known" or it could be further showing the audience what it meant to be living in this community. The music picks up as the kick drum builds the emotion in the lyrics and drives the pace of the editing, as James shows his own emotions to leaving the place he called home, "there all just places that I left behind", showing how much he regrets leaving but perhaps had to, no matter how much he missed the town. This point is enhanced as he goes uses "reminders" to indicate how much things have changed. The last lyric of the chorus is tinted with regret, and yearning to relive the past, as James almost sorrowfully sings on the porch, "[reminders] of the changing times, and these ageing bones of mine". This continued theme of ageing has been observed throughout the opening, with him reflecting on when he was younger and how different things are now. The video goes on to further elaborate on the 'age' aspect, with the band reliving some childhood memories. After this last lyric, the instrumental kicks in, along with shots of stunning scenery and time lapse photography (to perhaps indicate how Hunstanton has always and will always be the same way to James) and concludes the "opening chapter" of Havana's tribute to their hometown.
 |
In my head, and in my mind, they're all just the places that I left behind
Reminders of the changing times, and these ageing bones of mine. |
I encourage you to watch the rest of the video, enjoy the amazing music of the band and even to pick up the
album, but this concludes my close analysis of the opening two minutes of Deaf Havana's "Hunstanton Pier", a narrative based video that pays tribute to the band's town that shaped them into the individuals that they are today, and how although times change, and along with that people change, some things will always remain the same in people's hearts.
