Neon Neon – ‘Hammer & Sickle’ from Lex Records on Vimeo.
Praxis Makes Perfect , the second album from Neon Neon (aka Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys & U.S. producer Boom Bip), was released this week via Lex Records. The album is pitched as a musical biography detailing the life of maverick Italian publisher and left-wing political activist Giangiacomo Feltrinelli. Have a read of our interview with the duo here, and watch the the suitably eccentric video for ‘Hammer & Sickle’ from the LP above.
The vivid imagery – including a piece of Italy-shaped steak leaking blood onto a plate and a line of women flashing their chests to reveal pink neon hammer and sickle emblems – is certainly striking. After a cinematic intro to the song, synths and bass kick in for an upbeat pop feel, and the video becomes even more absurd. Like a mixture of the Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’, a particularly nostalgic Citroen advert and the 1960 film La Dolce Vita.
Starting tomorrow Neon Neon will be performing the new album in grandiose style, collaborating with "playwright Tim Price, director Wils Wilson and National Theatre Wales to create unique live performances using live music, a cast of actors, set design, lighting, projections and more" for the performances – have a look at the dates below:
MAY
Thu 2 – secret location, Cardiff – sold out
Fri 3 – secret location, Cardiff – sold out
Sat 4 – secret location, Cardiff – afternoon performance (just added); evening performance – sold out
Sun 5 – secret location, Cardiff
Thu 23 – Motion, Bristol
JUNE
Sat 1 – Forbidden Fruit festival, Dublin
Tue 4 – Village Underground, London
Wed 5 – Village Underground, London
Thu 6 – Village Underground, London – sold out
