A DAY IN BERLIN WITH... TRAVIS

It was a rainy October day that we met the four members of Scottish rock band Travis at the MYKITA Shop in Berlin-Mitte. The members of the handsome quartet were looking for some MYKITA sunglasses to round off the styling for their new press photos.

Despite their tight schedule and the friendly warnings of the photographer that the sun was setting, the band’s lead singer and adopted Berliner Fran Healy sat down with us a moment to talk about life in Berlin and his directing debut with the band’s most recent video: a short film for eight tracks from the new album Everything At Once.

What brought you to Berlin this time?

I live here. The other guys just came for the video shoot, they all live in the UK. We’re done with the album, but there is still a lot of work to be done before the release. Today, for instance, we’ve been driving around the city to shoot the press photos.

Where do you live in Berlin?

I live in a very lively street in Prenzlauer Berg. It has all these beautiful buildings and even a playground, but also some urban elements that are so typical of Berlin and give it edge, like the graffiti-covered front doors of many of the buildings.

And why Berlin?

We (my wife and I) moved here from London more than seven years ago. We wanted to give our kid the chance to grow up as a normal child. That’s still possible in Berlin, especially in that part of town, but not so much in London nowadays.

Tell us about the video…

This is a very special video. It’s actually more like a short film that is going to serve as a video for eight of the tracks in the album and I’m directing it. It’s my first time.

I was inspired by the film Victoria. When I saw it, I thought that if these guys could make a movie in one single shot and keep the audience engaged throughout the story, then I should try it.

This is definitely one of the best weeks of work I’ve had in my life, if not the best. I’m very excited. We managed to put together an amazing team to work on the video. We even got the lighting guy from Victoria.

What’s the story about?

As in Victoria, the story starts in a nightclub, but that’s where the similarity ends. It starts with me dancing with a girl, who’s actually there with her boyfriend. When a friend of the guy notices, they’re ready to come and get me, but then the boyfriend decides to play clever and puts something in my drink instead. When the mysterious drops kick in, then the story gets interesting. The video basically tells the story of my trip.