Boston Manor are an English alternative rock band formed in 2013 in Blackpool. Over the last nearly 10 years the band have released 3 albums and a number of EPs. They are currently signed to the independent record label, SharpTone records. The band talks about many issues including addiction to alcohol and drugs in their songs and probably has a target audience of middle to late 20s due to the more serious topics they talk about which may be unsuitable for a younger audience.
music video
The music video for the song passenger is typical of a alternative rock song in many ways. It includes dark red lighting and they are also in black clothing too which creates a moody atmosphere. The shots of rain and dark skies also creates a feeling of unhappiness and moodiness. The band is playing in a room which in some ways resembles a rehersal, it feels like we're getting an exclusive look into what it looks like when they have practice together which is a convention of a performance music video. Red lights has connotations of warning signals and this song is about addiction as the lyrics suggest, the red lights perhaps suggesting that something bad is happening in the lives. There are long shots and also medium shots of the band playing their instruments and head banging along to the beat of the song which is typical of a rock song and there are also a blurry effect on the camera which perhaps has connotations of what people feel like when they're constantly drunk, that everything's a blur which links into the theme of addiction.
Stuart Hall talks about the idea that stereotyping, as a form of representation, reduces people to a few simple characteristics or traits. The fact that this video is about addiction and there's many shots where there's people alone could suggest that they have been isolated and perhaps represents them as 'other' which reinforces the stereotypes of addicts dealing with addiction alone.
The band stays true to themselves, showing off their hometown of Blackpool such as the Blackpool tower, the trams that run through the town and the arcades along the sea front. They are represented as quite humble, they are recognising that the town is what brought them together and let them get to where they are now.
magazine
The front cover of the magazine is for Kerrang! magazine. It is a weekly magazine dedicated to rock, punk and heavy metal music. It interviews some of the most iconic bands from that genre, for example Slipknot is mentioned on the front cover, and also new bands on the scene suggesting that the magazine is very inclusive.
The magazine uses words like 'exclusive' and the band 'you need' and the best albums 'you've never heard' all suggesting that this is very special content and something that can't be missed which would appeal to music obsessed people who feel like they are finding out about things other people won't.
The main image on the front cover is of the band laying on top of each other which has connotations of closeness within the band. They seem very serious in the image as suggested by the closed mouths and their eyes staring right into the camera, this could reinforce that fact they are serious about their music. The cover line 'the voice of a new generation' could be used alongside this to suggest they take their jobs very seriously. This cover line could appeal to a younger and newer audience that are similar ages to the men because it is directly talking to that age group. It hints that the band makes music for that generation which would appeal to them.
The magazine double page spread in some ways is quite conventional of a music magazine, it talks about things people would expect to see such as the new album and new songs however it is in a lot more detail then what is usually included in a magazine interview which adds to the exclusivity of the magazine. There bottom of the double page spread includes a detailed tour of what can be expected in each song off the album. It is a brief explanation as to what the song is about or what encouraged them to write it which makes the interview even more interesting.
The main part of the interview talks about very personal stories, it feels raw and unedited there's even swear words throughout the interview which makes the story feel a lot more intense and it is clear that the band member is really passionate about what he is talking about. The main story is on what it is to be a man and toxic masculinity and how those ideas have somewhat changed since he was in school.
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