Siouxsie and the Banshees, “Play at Home” on Channel 4 (1984, video, entire show, 50 minutes)
If you like the Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees, 1983/1984 was an absolute golden period.
Robert Smith was playing guitar with the Banshees (one of several stints), appearing on Nocturne (the Banshees live from the Royal Albert Hall – a stunning gig released on double vinyl and VHS!) and on the studio LP Hyaena; Robert Smith and Steve Severin had formed the Glove with Jeanette Landray (then girlfriend of Severin’s band mate Budgie) and Siouxsie and Budgie had formed the Creatures.
1984 was also a golden era for live music TV with the Tube, the Old Grey Whistle Test and, briefly “Play at Home” – a series of documentaries about leading rock bands made by themselves… what could go wrong?
So the Banshees do their own unique (and surreal) version of Alice in Wonderland, with a full supporting cast, and intercut with music from the Banshees, the Glove and the Creatures. Siouxie’s dis-embodied blood-red lips narrate the story, and chews all available furniture. Green screen tech must have been cheap – the whole show is littered with really bad backgrounds (but I think they knew that)