Ikara Colt - Wanna Be That Way

MAY 01 2004 · 12:00

Ikara Colt - Wanna Be That Way (2004) Director: Woof Wan Bau (Joji Koyama) Era: Post-Punk Revival / UK Indie Eruption (2004) - Prime year of British indie's commercial breakthrough, contemporaneous with Franz Ferdinand, The Libertines, and early Arctic Monkeys, on Fantastic Plastic Records High archival value as an official promo for a critically respected but commercially marginal UK post-punk act at the peak of the 2004 indie wave. Documents the Fantastic Plastic Records visual aesthetic, Woof Wan Bau's early directorial work, and the abrasive art-school wing of a genre moment typically remembered through more polished artists. The band's deliberate dissolution in January 2005 makes all 2004 video output terminal-era documents of a finite artistic project. Context: Released in February 2004, 'Wanna Be That Way' arrived during the peak commercial moment of the UK post-punk revival. Ikara Colt, formed at London Guildhall University and signed to Fantastic Plastic Records, occupied an abrasive, art-school edge of the scene, drawing comparisons to Sonic Youth and The Fall and earning consistent support from John Peel. The band were explicit about their intent to disband before artistic compromise set in, and the promo's raw, anti-spectacle aesthetic reflects that ethic. The single charted at UK #49 and preceded the album Modern Apprentice, the final record before their January 2005 dissolution. The video's harsh lighting and percussive editing mirror the sonic values of a band aligned with noise-punk minimalism rather than the glossier end of the era's indie boom. Director notes: The Dailymotion official upload of 'Wanna Be That Way' carries a direct credit: 'Directed by: woof wan bau © 2007 Fantastic Plastic ℗ 2007 Fantastic Plastic.' The promo was produced for the February 2004 single release on Fantastic Plastic Records, the lead single from Ikara Colt's second album Modern Apprentice (released June 2004). The video is described in promotional materials as an 'Official Promo Video.' No additional named on-screen individuals have been directly sourced.