The Chemical Brothers: Don’t Think

Before he directed episodes of ‘Dr Who’ and ‘Skins’, British filmmaker Adam Smith used to splice together 16mm films behind The Chemical Brothers like a mad scientist. Eighteen years on, his images have retained their maniacal qualities but evolved from abstract shapes to revealing the character of the songs. Smith shot this film with 20 cameras at Japan’s Fuji Rock festival, and scenes of disembodied silhouettes soaring on clouds of smoke are cut with footage from the stage and psychedelic explorations into a forest. When a projection of insects scuttles from the screen into the crowd, gig-goers try to prod them. But it’s when the viewer’s response mirrors that of the filmed audience – jaw dropping as terrifying clowns urge you to ‘get high’ – that Smith’s ability to connect becomes inarguable.