Dollars To Pounds: Lightspeed You Black Emperor
- story THE FADER
“I’m glad you all came and didn’t stay at home watching Mark Ronson on the Brit Awards,” said Lightspeed Champion Dev Hynes. While his mates Arctic Monkeys collected their Brits trophies dressed as sozzled country gents, Dev completed his transformation from day-glo Dalston scenester to sensitive country troubadour on stage at Camden’s Dingwalls.
Video: Lightspeed Champion & Alex Turner, “Reptilia (Live at White Heat)”
- story THE FADER
If any of that title means something to you, then this video is like the new Star Warses were for dudes who wear stormtrooper outfits to work. LC and Alex, of the Arctic Monkeys, along with some other kids played White Heat as Pun Lovin’ Criminals, their covers band, and paid tribute to the Strokes’ “Reptilia”. There are fuck-ups, there are half-hearted bouncers, there is a wig, and there is a jam, which, as you will hear was not practiced.
Video: Lightspeed Champion, “Tell Me What It’s Worth”
- story THE FADER
Imagine if we showed up to your house with a crazy old lady wig on and didn’t even pretend to acknowledge it. Then, to quell the anxiety in the room, we sang really awesome pop songs and told weird stories about our old noise-punk band. This is essentially the gist of Lightspeed Champion’s career: weird and awesome and hairy. This new video of his was directed by young dun Saam, who usually employs some kind of futuristic 3-D trapezoid 1984 type nonsense in his work, but in “Tell Me What It’s Worth” goes for the old uncut dolly shot which is basically the free throw line dunk of video making—unsurprising yet impressive. If none of that makes sense, read our Q+A with Dev Bynes aka Lightspeed Champion from earlier this year.
