Belfast feminist queerpunks PROBLEM PATTERNS release their debut album Blouse Club this Friday, and to celebrate they're sharing this video for the album track 'Advertising Services' exclusively with Vive Le Rock!
"The average person sees hundreds of advertisements every day," says the band's Beverley Boal. "Companies are crying out for our attention, begging us to spend our hard earned cash on products that were made and delivered by workers that are underpaid and taken advantage of, to line the pockets of the men at the top - who have more money than they could ever need. All the while, every day 21,300 people die because of wealth inequality. It's this individualistic, self-centred nature of capitalism that inspired Advertising Services, calling out those who could do something to help but choose not to because redistribution of wealth would impact on their cushy lifestyles, acknowledging that as a band trying to make money to live we play a part in the capitalist machine, all while parodying advertising and big business - and that's what I tried to reflect in the music video, which my friend Aileen McKenna (This Ship Argo) helped film, trying to capture those moments where you get some clarity, because we're all way too desensitised - like when you realise just how tall the skyscrapers are, how every ad is designed specifically to catch our attention, or find yourself looking up at Piccadilly Circus all lit up like, Wow, is this really what we're prioritising right now?"
Released through Alcopop! Records, Blouse Club is available here.
Problem Patterns play London's Seabright Arms on Friday 17 November.