The Bolshoi — Please HD

JUL 01 1987 · 12:00

The Bolshoi — Please HD (1987) Era: Late British Post-Punk / Gothic Pop Transition (1987) - Period marking The Bolshoi's commercial pivot on Beggars Banquet/Situation Two, coinciding with the UK indie scene's shift from gothic austerity toward keyboard-driven new wave pop This video holds significant archival value as one of the few documented promotional clips from The Bolshoi's commercially oriented 1987 period — a band whose visual output has been minimally catalogued despite their cultural influence on the gothic and alternative scenes. The rapid editorial rhythm (1.58s avg. shot length), warm tungsten palette, and transitional aesthetic between subcultural gothic and mainstream pop make it an instructive case study in how UK Beggars Banquet-era acts negotiated MTV visibility. The 'HD' filename designation indicates this is a remastered or upscaled preservation copy, adding further value as a digitally stabilised record of a format (likely 16mm or super-16 film) otherwise at risk of degradation. Context: Released in May 1987 as the lead single from The Bolshoi's second album Lindy's Party, 'Please' represents a deliberate commercial pivot away from the band's earlier gothic post-punk austerity toward a funkier, keyboard-inflected new wave pop sound. The Bolshoi had formed in Trowbridge, Wiltshire in 1984 and built their reputation in the UK indie circuit alongside acts like The Cult, The March Violets, and The Lords of the New Church before signing to Beggars Banquet. The 'Please' single arrived amid intense competition on UK alternative radio and US college stations, where the band had already gained traction via 'A Way' on IRS Records. Critics noted the album's shift toward 'pop-funk and keyboard-driven moodiness,' and the video's warm palette and rapid editing pace reflect this transitional aesthetic — commercially approachable yet retaining the band's theatrical, darkly sardonic sensibility. Director notes: The single 'Please' was released 18 May 1987 on Situation Two/Beggars Banquet Records, preceding the album Lindy's Party (14 September 1987). The track was self-produced by The Bolshoi with engineering assistance from Ken Thomas on select album tracks. No video production credits appear on any release documentation found. The video's quantitative profile — 142 scene changes over 224 seconds (avg. shot 1.58s), moderate brightness (63.5/255), warm colour temperature (1.57), and vigorous motion score (8.75) — is consistent with a low-to-mid budget UK indie promo of the period, likely commissioned by Beggars Banquet for promotional use on UK music television (e.g. The Tube, Top of the Pops) and exported to MTV for alternative/college radio markets via IRS Records distribution.