Andrea Arnold Brings Dartford Community to Life in Sleaford Mods’ ‘No Touch’ Video

​Andrea Arnold returns to the estate where she shot her seminal Oscar-winning short film 'Wasp' for a music video with Sleaford Mods, shot by long-term collaborator Robbie Ryan (Red Road, Fish Tank, Wuthering Heights, American Honey, Bird).

The film, shot on a mix of 16mm and 35mm, features the Mods frontmen performing the track alongside locals and dancers in the falling leaves of British November.

“I had such a lovely day making the video with the Sleafords and Sue Tompkins. The shoot reminded me of my days out to Margate with my family," commented director Andrea Arnold. "It was bonkers, chaotic and funny and we got chips on the way home. I had such a good time working with them all. Although we all do different things we were all somehow connected. Like our work and lives all intermingled somehow. Lovely.”

Casting was led by People File and included some street cast dancers mixed in with figures from the local community.

Andrea is known for the specific use of music in her films and the Sleaford Mods track 'Jolly Fucker' was featured on the soundtrack for her latest film 'Bird' (2024) alongside artists like Fontaines DC, Blur and The Verve.

Andrea also returned to Dartford for Bird, which featured actors Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski and breakout talent Nykiya Adams, along with a cameo from Mods lead singer Jason Williamson. The film premiered at Cannes in 2024 where it was nominated for the Palme d’Or.

The track 'No Touch' is the third to be released from Sleaford Mods’ latest album ''The Demise of Planet X.' The first two music videos were directed by Nick Waplington and Ben Wheatley respectively, the latter featuring actress Gwendoline Christie.

“No Touch couldn’t have been captured by anyone else, Andrea Arnold fits perfectly with its soft nightmare theme,” said Jason. “No Touch is colourful and full of heavy realism, a kitchen sink drama. It is a song about isolation, loneliness and crushing self-harm that we all try to navigate, I suppose, under the rigid structures of conformity. Andrea took us back to her old neighbourhood, which also felt very familiar to me. The video, like her films, doesn’t end in total black out, but it trails hope too.”

Sue Tompkins is a visual artist and former lead singer of Glasgow rock band Life Without Buildings. Her practice is rooted in language – words, speech and voice – and she has presented solo exhibitions at The Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow (2014), Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis (2009) and Spike Island, Bristol (2007).