- Pics & Vids
- 08 Jul 21
Examining the community-forging powers of football, the artist says it felt like a 'shower of relief and glory' to film this new music video.
For Those I Love, the brainchild of producer and songwriter David Balfe, released his football-inspired music video for 'To Have You' today, from his critically-acclaimed eponymous debut album.
The black-and-white video focusses solely on Shelbourne FC, affectionately known as the Coolock Reds to their fans. The club has a particularly poignant meaning for Blafe. It not only provided a sense of community for him and his friends, but in the club's shared stadium, Tolka Park, Balfe spread the ashes of his best friend and former bandmate Paul Curran, who was an avid Shelbourne FC fan.
The accompanying song is more of a soundscape than anything else. Commentators heatedly describing the day's match, casual conversation between friends, and street noises form an essential part of the songs ecosystem. Twinkling synthesisers, keys, and vocal samples create ever-building, engaging harmonies. Balfe's vocals are buried in the mix – instead of being distracting, it draws the listener in and you find yourself hanging on his every word.
The profound importance of this place is abundantly clear in Balfe's new video. Artful shots of the club, its team, and its fans communicate the power of football to bring communities together and unite them. We see families walking to the match, groups gathering in the pub, people going to friend's houses, all in the name of coming together to watch the game. These shots interspersed with groups of kids playing football on the road, imbue the video with tender sentimentality and vulnerability.
"Being back in the stands as 'To Have You' was shot felt like a shower of relief and beauty," said Balfe.
"The trip out to the football can feel like a pilgrimage. Every mix of bliss and pain and glory is felt in the terraces each week, but it's been lost for us all since the world changed overnight," he continued.
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The video's director, Niall Trask, is clearly similarly passionate about football's uniting power: "The video is about finding community in a time of bleakness and disconnection. While there's an absurdity to a team playing with no fans in the ground, despite the usual fanfare of flags, celebrations and rituals, the small moments we captured around Drumcondra and Tolka park show a resilient community where life keeps pulsing, and young and old are united by their beloved local team."
For Those I Love is finding well deserved international success. After selling out Dublin's Olympia Theatre, Balfe is making his first journey to the UK for a six-date tour – all of which are now sold out.
Shelbourne FC's shared stadium, Tolka Park, is under threat. To learn more about the Save Tolka Park campaign, click here.
Watch the 'To Have You' music video below.