Barry Keoghan to star in Fontaines D.C. video for ‘Bug’
Irish star Barry Keoghan will appear in the new Fontaines D.C. music video for their song ‘Bug’, taken from their latest album, Romance. The video features clips from the upcoming Andrea Arnold film Bird, in which the actor stars as a character called Bug.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker is known for directing incredible films like Fish Tank, American Honey, and Cow. Bird is Arnold’s highly-anticipated return to her roots, with the film exploring characters living in poverty-stricken modern Britain. Keoghan stars as Bug, the father of Bailey, a 12-year-old girl navigating a world full of aggressive masculinity, loneliness, and confusion.
Covered in tattoos, Keoghan’s character is introduced to us by driving an electric scooter with Bailey clinging on the back, blasting ‘Too Real’ from Fontaines D.C.’s debut album, Dogrel. It is the perfect opener, with Robbie Ryan’s shaky cinematography capturing the chaos of speeding down the high street, and the song becomes the perfect accompaniment.
Later in the film, ‘A Hero’s Death’ from their sophomore album of the same name also features Keoghan singing along to the song as he looks out of the window. Additionally, Fontaines fans will be excited to see guitarist Carlos O’Connell appear in a minor role as Bug’s friend. After initially appearing early in the film, he is then seen playing the piano in an important scene.
Thus, it makes perfect sense that clips of the film will form the music video for ‘Bug’. It is set to be released later on November 4th at 3pm GMT, while Bird will hit cinemas on November 8th.
Talking to The Irish Times earlier this year, Keoghan revealed how ready he was to work with Arnold. “I have always wanted to work with Andrea Arnold. I have been saying this over and over again. I wasn’t given a script. I wasn’t given anything like that. And that just shows the confidence I have in her. The belief. The love.”
He added, “I’d do anything that she makes. I know I’ll be fully immersed. To be surrounded by non-actors gets a better performance from you. That’s a bit selfish maybe. But it brings me on a journey.”
The movie marks Arnold’s first traditional film since 2016’s American Honey, which starred Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf and Riley Keough. The director’s last project was the 2021 documentary Cow, which captured the life of a cow called Luma on a dairy farm in Kent.
Fontaines D.C. aren’t the only band prominently featured in Bird, though. A Sleaford Mods song can be heard in one scene, with singer Jason Williamson appearing later in the film.
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