Travis - Closer

APR 23 2007 · 12:00

Travis - Closer (2007) Director: Michael Baldwin Era: Post-Britpop Indie Revival (2007) - Mid-2000s UK indie rock resurgence; Scottish alt-rock veterans returning after hiatus with playful, high-concept commercial single High curatorial value as a well-documented, director-confirmed 2007 UK indie single video that encapsulates the post-Britpop commercial aesthetic. Notable for its Hollywood celebrity cameo, LA-shot production by a British band, and strong narrative comedy structure. Represents a transitional moment in Travis's career and in UK indie rock's mainstream visual language. Quantitative metrics align cleanly with its genre era. Context: Released in spring 2007, 'Closer' marked Travis's commercial comeback after a difficult period following the darker 12 Memories (2003). The choice to shoot a high-concept comedic video in Los Angeles, enlisting a Hollywood A-lister, reflects the band's attempt to relaunch with a light, globally accessible tone. The supermarket setting satirizes mundane working life, a recurring motif in British pop culture, while the American production context and celebrity cameo speak to the transatlantic ambitions of the era's UK indie scene. The video's fast-cut comedic style aligns with the mid-2000s trend of narrative-driven music videos borrowing grammar from TV comedy and adverts. Director notes: Directed and set entirely within a Los Angeles supermarket, the video follows the band cast as store employees. The production was handled by Streetgang Films (producer: Jason Botkin). The video premiered March 12, 2007, ahead of the single's April 23, 2007 UK release date. The comedic narrative features the band as disaffected retail clerks who break into an impromptu musical moment while their boss, played by Ben Stiller in a cameo, repeatedly fails to catch them in the act. Fran Healy's character operates as a beaver mascot at the store entrance before going inside. The video ends with the full band leaving the supermarket together.