Fast-rising Irish punks PROBLEM PATTERNS have unveiled a video for their brand new single.
Their first release for Alcopop! Records, the raging 'Who Do We Not Save?' casts a savagely critical eye on the creeping privatisation of the NHS and is an indication of what to expect from Belfast 'DIY feminist queerpunks' on their debut album due out later this year.
“Our healthcare system has been falling apart for years due to cuts, and the pandemic only sped up the process," they explain. "We constantly see campaigns telling people to ask for help, especially in regards to mental health, but the reality is that the services we need are under too much pressure. The line ‘We’re one or two paychecks away’ refers to the fact that many of us will be in a lot of trouble if privatisation becomes reality here. The title itself is lifted verbatim from Dominic Cumming’s photo of the white board used to plan the UK government’s early response to COVID. We thought it would be fitting to use it for the single’s cover art, too.”
The video was directed by band member Alanah Smith and shot on location at their hometown's Oh Yeah Music Centre. “I wanted the video to capture the chaotic energy of the song,” she says. “I pictured the storyline as soon as we’d finished the song. In the first half, you have stressed out healthcare workers trying to save a life without the tools to be able to do so. Meanwhile, there’s a shady business deal to sell off what little is left of public healthcare, big menacing grins and all. I wanted to approach this with a bit of comedy, because if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.
“I made the medical supplies and instruments (except the toy drums) with things like cardboard and yarn, as I wanted everything to look extremely cheap and ultimately useless. The death scene in the ambulance was inspired by the film Dave Made A Maze, where they used things like confetti and glitter in place of standard fake blood."
Rated by the likes of Bob Vylan and Kathleen Hanna, Problem Patterns formed in 2018 out of their collective fury at a high-profile rape trial, quickly releasing debut single 'Allegedly' in response. They don't have a frontperson but share roles equally within the band to give each member a voice.
Stream/download 'Who Do We Not Save?' here.
The band have a bunch of dates lined up, catch them at...
15.03.23 - The Black Box, Belfast (Pink Pound)
17.03.23 - The Garage, London (w/ Fight Like Apes)
07.04.23 - Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast (Friday Fest w/ Axis Of, Mob Wife)
30.04.23 - Bollox, Manchester (Sound Of The Other City Festival)
15.07.23 - Ost Hafen, Berlin (My People Fest w/ FAIM, Dying For It)
22.07.23 - EBGBs, Liverpool (Crapfest w/ Crapsons, Piss Kitti)
19.08.23 - Glasgow (Core Festival)