Synopsis

Dexys Midnight Runners perform "Geno" in a stark ballroom setting, intercut with footage of the band walking through the streets, leaving a train station with bags, and working out in a boxing gym. The formal performance scenes contrast with the group's restless, street-level energy, while Kevin Rowland's vocal delivery gives the clip the urgency of a live soul revue. The video reflects the band's early image: tough, theatrical, working-class, and deeply connected to Northern Soul culture.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was made for Dexys Midnight Runners' 1980 single, their tribute to American soul singer Geno Washington. The song became the band's first UK No. 1, spending two weeks at the top of the chart.

• Kevin Rowland later recalled that the production team initially wanted to concentrate on filming the band performing in a ballroom. The group had other ideas, including street footage, a train-station sequence, and scenes in a boxing gym.

• To secure the footage they wanted, the band performed only the verses during the ballroom shoot. When the choruses arrived, they stopped playing, forcing the filming to pause while the other planned material was incorporated.

• Rowland's account of the shoot became an example of the band's determination to control its visual identity. He said the experience helped convince Dexys that it was better to take responsibility for their own creative decisions.

• The video's presentation suits the song's subject: "Geno" looks back to the excitement of seeing Washington perform in Britain during the late 1960s, before Dexys Midnight Runners existed.