Synopsis

Pete Townshend performs "Face the Face" with a large ensemble in a lively poolside setting. Wearing a gold, 1940s-style tuxedo, he sings, dances and moves among musicians, backing vocalists and an enthusiastic crowd. The performance alternates between staged concert imagery and more intimate shots, giving the clip a celebratory, theatrical feel. Emma Townshend also appears, reinforcing the song's connection to the larger White City project and its blend of personal memory, performance and cinematic storytelling.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Face the Face" was part of *White City: The Music Movie*, a film project created to accompany Townshend's 1985 album *White City: A Novel*. Edited sections from the film were also circulated as promotional music videos.

• Townshend originally conceived the project as a musical piece in which the story and the songs would develop together, rather than adding a conventional video after recording the music.

• The poolside performance helped inspire the name of Townshend's temporary backing group, Deep End. The band later performed the song live with David Gilmour and other musicians from the *White City* sessions.

• Emma Townshend contributes vocals to the song and appears in the music video. It was her first credited musical work with her father.

• The accompanying *White City* film was shot on 35mm rather than videotape, reflecting Townshend's ambition to treat the project more like a short feature film than a standard promotional video.

• Released as a single in 1985, "Face the Face" became Townshend's biggest solo hit in the United States, reaching No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100.