Vagus – AK-47

On Sunday August 23 2015 the band members Gary Law, James Dolan, Jonny Hill and Steve Le Long, a two-man camera crew (Chris Almond and Lee De Louche) and friends Reinhard Gleisner, Katja Maibauer, and Helen Rose got together for filming of session footage and some fooling around in the grounds of a studio. The resulting material was edited and synced to audio before being sent to Laura Grace Robles (Electro Looks) and Tom Hughes (AK-47). Both videos were kindly funded by Jersey Arts Trust.

The new music video created by director Tom Hughes is a witty, freaky action comic featuring a zombie band, interstellar travel by garden shed, and dance routines filmed in Gilbert O’Sullivan’s rehearsal room. The song is over eight minutes long and more like a progressive rock suite than a traditional pop song. Tom Hughes rose splendidly to the challenge by constructing a narrative of the real Vagus versus a band of undead doppelgängers converging in a goofy chase involving the aforementioned shed with an apparent nod to the Infinite Improbability Drive in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The poignant appearance of a deceased starman hurtling into deep space signals the synchronicity of Tom Hughes’ editing work with the news of David Bowie’s death on January 10 2016. There are many other clever details throughout the film to generously reward repeated viewings.

Tom Hughes YouTube

The audio production by Gary Law is a heftier development of the psychedelic electro of the previous single, charged with elements of glam rock and the kind of whip-lashing electronic indie sound popularised by DFA Records. AK-47 will be included on the split release by Vagus and The Gaa Gaas available as a download and limited edition cassette release on May 28 2016.

ak-47 video stills 13

AK-47 lyrics

Thinking for the whole day
When you are alive
What is it you will say
When we are alive
Casualties in our own way
We’re casualties in our own way

Winter is on the way
Nothing put aside
Winter is on the way
Morally disguised
As casualties in our own way
Casualties in our own way

Thinking for the whole day
When you are alive
What is it you will say
When we are alive

Check out all the exits
Seven ways to run
Out on you now
As my soul perplexes
Hands are bound
A shroud in doubt
For you now
Misplaced in your garden
A garden made of stone cold gold
I refuse to hold

I check out
You check in
I can feel you crawling upon my skin
I can sense you feel for thoughts inside
I feel you steal all of their minds

Check out all exits
Seven ways to run
Out on you

I was running on low
I was running on low
Violence coming in an empty vessel as I saw her caressing my soul
AK-47 at my side
Shot a man in cold blood down tonight
To practice my aim
One shot one kill
To practice my aim
One shot one kill
To practice my aim

Check out all exits
Seven ways to run
Out on you

Six six six
Seven

Check out all exits
Seven ways to run
Out on you

Song written by James Dolan and Gary Law
Produced by Gary Law