Synopsis

In a sun-baked Los Angeles parking lot, a group of heavily oiled bodybuilders work out while another crew of blue-clad street characters gathers nearby. The surreal standoff gradually develops into a stylized confrontation between opposing ideals of masculinity and femininity. Drag performers and transgender actors add to the video's deliberately theatrical atmosphere, while hip-hop-styled guardian figures appear to deliver a message of reconciliation. Shot in slow motion and filled with vivid colors, "Miami" turns the song's themes of love, betrayal, and illusion into an eccentric outdoor fantasy.

Factoids & Trivia

• Although the song is titled "Miami," the video was filmed in Los Angeles. The production team considered shooting in Miami but found Los Angeles more practical for both casting and production.

• The concept was built around two competing ideals: a hyper-masculine world represented by bodybuilders and a feminine ideal represented through drag and transgender performers.

• The cast included Calpernia Addams, Glamourous Monique, Fierce Detox, and Lauren Powers.

• The visual language was intentionally strange and only partly explained. The video's creators wanted it to feel unlike Foals' earlier work while still retaining the band's surreal visual identity.

• The blue clothing, car, and bandanas were originally more prominent. During the shoot, the crew became concerned that the styling could be mistaken for Crips gang imagery, so some of the colors and accessories were toned down.

• The bodybuilders were coated in oil for the glossy, exaggerated look. One participant reportedly had arms so large that he could not reach the backs of his own shoulders.

• The video connects to the phrase "Total Life Forever," the title of Foals' second album, by giving the apparent rival groups a shared message through its guardian-angel figures.

• "Miami" formed part of the visual campaign for *Total Life Forever*, released in 2010, an album whose colder and more atmospheric tone contrasted with the video's bright, sunlit setting.