Addict - Monster Side

JUL 01 1998 · 12:00

Addict - Monster Side (1998) Director: Mike Lipscombe Era: Post-Britpop Alt-Rock Crossover (1998) - Late-wave British indie guitar rock intersecting with US alternative; period of peak Radiohead-adjacent atmospheric rock and soundtrack-driven exposure via teen film placements Moderate-to-high archival value as a well-directed, period-authentic artifact of the post-Britpop British indie scene at its late-90s transitional moment. Directed by an award-winning UK promo veteran, tied to a transatlantic debut album and a notable teen-film soundtrack placement, the video encapsulates the muted visual grammar, rapid-cut editing energy, and warm-toned realism of its era with textbook clarity. Useful as a teaching or comparative object within late-90s British music video history. Context: Released in 1998 on Big Cat Records/V2, 'Monster Side' arrived at a pivotal juncture when Britpop's commercial dominance was fading and British guitar bands were pivoting toward more introspective, US-influenced alt-rock sounds. Addict, Cambridge-rooted, London-based, earned Radiohead comparisons and recorded their debut in Los Angeles with producer David Bianco, signalling the transatlantic hybridity defining late-90s indie. The song's inclusion on the Disturbing Behavior teen-film soundtrack granted rare North American exposure, situating it within the late-90s tradition of alternative rock crossovers via Hollywood teen cinema alongside contemporaries on similar soundtracks. Director notes: Directed the 'Monster Side' music video for Addict in 1998, the lead single from the band's debut album Stones (Big Cat Records / V2), which was also featured on the Disturbing Behavior motion picture soundtrack the same year. The video was produced during Lipscombe's peak period at Stark Films. The quantitative fingerprint, rapid editing pace (avg shot length 1.85s, 138 scene changes over 255s), warm low-saturation grade, and high-contrast chiaroscuro lighting, is consistent with Lipscombe's known mid-budget UK promo aesthetic of the era, balancing performance energy with understated visual mood.