Synopsis

Toyah emerges from the sea like a figure from another world before the video shifts to stark industrial landscapes. Against the imposing Battersea Power Station, she rides a white horse, combining romantic, apocalyptic and science-fiction imagery. The performance is deliberately theatrical, with Toyah presented as a solitary, otherworldly heroine moving between the coast and the city. The surreal imagery reflects the song's themes of alienation, emotional isolation and searching for a soulmate in an unfamiliar world.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video accompanied the 1982 single release and uses the 3:41 edit of "Brave New World," rather than the 5:31 album version from *The Changeling*.

• The shoot was completed in roughly 24 hours. Toyah later recalled arriving on the beach at about 4 a.m. for the sunrise sequence and having to enter the water backwards so the footage could be reversed.

• The seaside footage is generally identified with Hastings, while later official Toyah material also refers to Birling Gap. The industrial scenes were filmed at Battersea Power Station in London.

• Toyah recalled that the white horse was difficult to control and disliked working with her. The apparent slow-motion drama of the riding sequence was therefore heightened by a genuinely chaotic shoot.

• The visual concept drew comparison with David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes," another strikingly surreal video built around unusual costumes and imagery. Toyah rejected the idea that she was trying to imitate Bowie.

• Toyah has described the song as developing from feelings of isolation and not fitting in. In later comments, she connected its central idea with missing a soulmate, giving the video its sense of emotional displacement.

• Previously unseen footage from the shoot was included on the expanded DVD edition of *The Changeling*. The release also contains unused performance material filmed for the promo.

• In 2025, an extended version was assembled from the original coastal and Battersea footage, adding previously unseen B-roll rather than digitally recreating or altering the 1982 material.