Russell Morris ProfileVeteran Australian musician Russell Morris has crafted one of the year’s finest albums so far in his latest LP, Van Diemen’s Land, so we at theMusic.com.au are naturally extraordinarily humbled to be able to present the premiere airing of the scenically gorgeous new clip for the album’s title track, in all its physically sparse, emotionally vivid glory.
Filmed in and around the Blue Lake Lodge in Tasmania’s Central Highlands, the clip was directed by Lucas Thyer, of Brissy-based filmographers PixelFrame, and drops Melburnian actor Richard Sutherland quite literally in the thick of it, as the video finds him awakening on the harsh shores of one cold-ass-looking lake and takes him on a colourful quest through desert, mountain and bushland alike while Russell's thunderous strains drive along as soundtrack.
The shooting itself was not without incident, either – an unforeseen snow storm left the crew trapped in the mountains for two days towards the end of production. Make their ordeal worth it by taking it all in below:
Van Diemen’s Land marks the second entry in Morris’ planned trilogy of albums celebrating Australian history, following on from last year’s wildly successful Sharkmouth, which saw the ARIA Hall Of Famer re-enter the Top 10, chalk up his inaugural ARIA Award, and earn Platinum status all in one fell swoop.
Van Diemen’s Land, meanwhile, became his highest-charting album ever upon its release in April, when it stormed into the Top 5 ARIA Albums chart at #4.
Morris kicks off his Van Diemen’s Land tour next month, commencing at the Goulburn Workers Club, Goulburn, on August 1. See the Gig Guide or The Music App for more information.
