Badhands shares cosy live video for 'Head in the Clouds'

Daniel Fitzpatrick, aka Badhands, released the video for his single ‘Head in the Clouds’ following the release of his new album The Wheel.

The video was recorded live at The Meadow Studio in Wicklow on Thursday, 11th May, 2023. “We wanted to try and capture on film a snapshot of the making of the new album, with the band playing live in the studio where the album was recorded,” Fitzpatrick explained.

Directed by Gerry Nelson and Jamie Fitzpatrick, and produced by the award-winning Crossing The Line Productions, the video creates an intimate and mellowed atmosphere between the band and the viewer.

‘Head in the Clouds’ captures the mood of the new album as well as any track. The lyrics describe a person operating in a dreamlike state of denial, oblivious to what's going on in the world around them. The band play in a richly plush studio, limned by the subtle, warm lights behind them.

As if embodying the lyrics, "something pulls us back, try to keep my feet on the ground, and gravity attacks but I've got my head in the clouds," each musician can be seen on the brink of allowing themselves to tumble into the euphony of the song that surrounds them, barely managing to pull back. The music evokes Lou Reed: a piano-led psychedelic ballad that gathers tension throughout and ultimately builds to a joyful saxophone led outro, where the band finally appear to let go.

The Wheel is already receiving much-deserved acclaim from tastemakers around Ireland. Unlike his previous records - which Badhands' wrote and recorded with meticulous planning and care; The Wheel was conceived and recorded largely on a whim and in a very short time frame.

The inspiration for the album came from Peter Jackson’s 2022 documentary, The Beatles: Get Back, which focused on the making of Let It Be.

“We had all been really inspired by the Get Back documentary; watching The Beatles flounder and struggle, but ultimately pull it together, and this provided the impetus for starting the project,” Badhands' shared.

The end result produced a piece that is a looser, more collaborative effort, with Fitzpatrick composing predominantly on piano rather than guitar. The compositions continue to demonstrate the influence of Fitzpatrick's scoring work, with the album at times sounding part dystopian soundtrack.

The new music video provides a taste of what fans can expect at Badhands’ live dates in Derry, Dublin, Kildare, Cork, Cavan, and Mayo throughout May, 2023.

Live Dates
Friday, 12th May 2023 - Newbridge - Flanagans
Saturday, 13th May 2023 - Kinsale - Prim's Bookshop
Saturday, 20th May 2023 - Cavan Town - Cavan Arts Festival
Saturday, 27th May 2023 - Louisburgh - Big Style Atlantic Lodge