A local filmmaker and independent music collective have joined forces with instrumental post-rock quartet for the first video release from a new creative collaboration.
Kelli Watson, of Luton-based Alleged Productions, directed the music video for AV Sunset’s new single ‘The Cheerleading Elite’, which marks the latest release from the band’s forthcoming album ‘Vs Reality’.
The track is being released through Luton DIY collective label Vandalism Begins At Home Records, continuing the label’s support for independent artists and bringing together local talent from across the creative scene. Alleged Productions were also involved in the music video for Missing The Ferry’s single ‘Luton You’re A Lady’.
Vandalism co-conspirator Ben Barry said: “It’s always exciting when a release becomes more than just the music. With AV Sunset, we’ve got an incredible band from our wider region, a Luton filmmaker in Kelli bringing the visuals to life and a local independent label helping bring it all together.
“That’s what Vandalism is about — championing creative people and giving them a platform to connect with audiences.”
Watson said: “The music industry has changed dramatically over the past two decades, leaving far fewer opportunities for grassroots, working-class musicians. As a working-class creative myself, I believe collaboration is one of the few ways we can meaningfully challenge the dominance of the corporate music industry.
“Over the past few years, I’ve worked with Vandalism Begins at Home, producing low – and often no – budget music videos. What I enjoy most is creating old-school narrative videos, where the lyrics sit at the heart of the creative process. AV Sunset was different. As a purely instrumental track, it offered me the chance to create a more literal union between music and image—something I’d been wanting to explore for a long time.
“The process itself was unusual. The band recorded themselves performing the track against a white backdrop and sent me the footage, along with a series of cryptic album artworks created by their graphic designer. Those elements became the foundation of the video.
“From those fragments, I developed a visual narrative that reflects on techno-feudalism and its impact on our humanity, our relationships with one another, and our connection to the living world around us.”
AV Sunset’s new album ‘Vs Reality’ will be released on 4 September, with the record described by the band as a response to “the confusion, chaos and uncertainty of contemporary existence” and a search for moments of hope and triumph.
Speaking about ‘The Cheerleading Elite,’ the band said: “We kept the guitar effects down to a minimum here, aside from some reverb and delay and a bit of Ebow. The majority of this song is all about the interplay between the different guitar parts and we wanted the dynamics to come from our playing rather than our pedalboards.
“It’s the most delicate song on the album…at least until that riff drops in the final third.”
The collaboration between AV Sunset, Alleged Productions and Vandalism Begins At Home Records highlights the growing network of independent musicians, filmmakers and creatives working across Luton and the surrounding areas.
Formed during the tail-end of lockdown AV Sunset have built a following among instrumental and post-rock fans after releasing their debut album ‘Disconnections’ in 2023 and sharing stages with bands including ASIWYFA, Slow Crush, Hubris, Press to Meco and VLMV, plus two well-received shows in Luton.
Their second album was recorded at The Arch in Southport with producer Tom Peters, whose credits include AMTP, Empire State Bastard and A Burial At Sea, before being mastered by Stephen Kerrison, who has worked with Sans Froid, LIFE and Bicurious.
The album title ‘Vs Reality’ reflects the band’s exploration of escapism and the challenges of navigating a world where “it’s becoming ever harder to tell fact from fiction”.
The band said: “By the time we’d finished the record, the phrase ‘Vs Reality’ had taken on a different resonance.
“It’s becoming ever harder to tell fact from fiction, to know if something you’re watching online is genuine or an AI fabrication. This idea of our collective understanding of reality being under attack is something our designer Gavin Singleton fully captured in his incredible album artwork.”
Luton fans of the band will also have the chance to see AV Sunset perform live in the town later this year, when they play The Castle on Saturday 3 October as part of their UK dates.
Talking about their upcoming shows, the band said: “We always write our songs with live performance in mind and we are so excited to play these songs to the people of Luton, they absolutely slam.
“We’re more confident than ever as a live act and I know this gig is going to blow people away.”
‘Vs Reality’ is released on 4 September 2026 via Vandalism Begins At Home Records.
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