The Tote is a Melbourne live music institution and the Collingwood pub has survived everything from 2010’s strict liquor licensing reforms to a molotov cocktail attack in 2012.

Now the Tote has endured the antics of an axe-wielding metal band and their legion of fans, who transformed the venue into their very own metal haven for their latest music video.

For their brutal track ‘Dead End’, Melbourne heavy music-makers King Parrot hit upon the idea of creating an amazing music video tribute to Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 horror masterpiece, The Shining. 

The clip turns the Tote into King Parrot’s very own Aussie-fied version of the Overlook Hotel, visually recreating key scenes from Kubrick’s Stephen King adaptation.

There’s the shot-for-shot remake of a crazed Jack Nicholson chatting with a ghoulish bartender (played by bassist Slatts and frontman Youngy respectively), to the creepy twin girls taunting ‘come play with us… forever’,  to the famous door-slashing ‘Here’s Johnny’ axe entrance. But everything is given a devilishly humorous ocker spin to it. (“Do me a favour and dick off, Mr Slattery.”)

The video (which also contains ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ cameos from Melbourne bands Batpiss, The Spazzys, and puppet comedian Randy) goes through its humorous rewrite of the The Shining before diving headfirst into King Parrot’s soundtrack, a blend of punk aggression, thrash metal fury, and grinding riffage. Even if heavy music isn’t your bag, the video’s just too damn entertaining to skip over.

The video was produced by King Parrot alongside Melbourne team Blackbox Films, whose music video CV includes clips for the The Mark Of Cain, Mama Kin, and The Groves.

Blackbox have worked closely with King Parrot several times before, including the ‘Bozo’ video, which takes place at another iconic Melbourne venue, Cherry Bar, as the five-piece prepare for their CherryFest performance (watch below).

Both ‘Bozo’ and ‘Dead End’ are taken from King Parrot’s Bite Your Head Off, their 11-track, 22-minute 2012 record that won the band the Best Heavy Album award at last year’s The Age/Music Victoria Awards.

The band are currently travelling the country for their Scorching Summer Tour, wrapping up next week before the band head over to the US to tour with American deathgrind act Cattle Decapitation in March, followed by a 15-date trip with Vattnet Viskar and Vaporizer.

Their itinerary also includes checking into Austin, Texas for this year’s SXSW as one of a record-breaking 55 Aussie acts headed to the annual music industry conference this March, bringing their renowned live show, along with “sheer, bloody-minded charm and force of personality,” as our Tone Deaf reviewer put it when they caught King Parrot on their co-headline tour with Gay Paris last October.

“What makes them a compelling and at times intimidating live prospect is that, along with their attack and attitude, they also possess a total livewire of a lead man in the form of Youngy… Not since The Prodigy in their heyday have a band hit the stage looking like they’re about to take hostages at any given moment.”

King Parrot are also touted to play Soundwave 2014 in Melbourne at the end of the month. Though confirmed for the hard and heavy festival as far back as September, the five-piece have yet to be officially added to the lineup, but are likely to appear on the timetable for the Melbourne leg of the festival, with official set times expected later this week.

King Parrot Australian Tour 2014 Dates

Friday 14th — Alice Springs — Todd’s Tavern
Saturday 15th – Darwin — Happy Yess
Friday 21st – Launceston — The Pavillion
Saturday 22nd – Hobart — The Brisbane Hotel
Further info at https://www.facebook.com/kingparrotband/

King Parrot US Tour 2014 Dates

KING PARROT + CATTLE DECAPITATION
3/07 VENTURA, CA – THE STAR PALACE
3/08 WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – THE WHISKY
3/09 LA JOLLA, CA – PORTERS PUB

KING PARROT + LOCAL SUPPORT
3/10 PHOENIX, AZ – JOE’S GROTTO

KING PARROT + VATTNET VISKAR + VAPORIZER
3/12 FORT WORTH, TX – TOMCATS WEST
3/13 AUSTIN, TX – SXSW FESTIVAL
3/14 AUSTIN, TX – SXSW FESTIVAL
3/15 AUSTIN, TX – SXSW FESTIVAL
3/16 HOUSTON, TX – MANGO’S
3/17 BATON ROUGE, LA – MUD & WATER
3/18 NEW ORLEANS, LA – SIBERIA
3/19 ATLANTA, GA – DRUNKEN UNICORN
3/20 TAMPA, FL – THE ORPHEUM
3/21 LONGWOOD, FL – HOODIE’S
3/22 ST. AUGUSTINE, FL – THE STANDARD
3/23 MIAMI, FL – CHURCHILL’S PUB
3/25 CHARLOTTE, NC – THE CHOP SHOP
3/26 RICHMOND, VA – STRANGE MATTER
3/27 BALTIMORE, MD – METRO GALLERY
3/29 WORCESTER, MA – RALPH’S
3/30 NEW YORK, NY – SAINT VITUS BAR
3/31 BURLINGTON, VT – NECTARS

KING PARROT + VATTNET VISKAR
4/01 MONTREAL, QB – IL MOTORE
4/02 ROCHESTER, NY – BUG JAR
4/03 TORONTO, ON – HARD LUCK
4/04 COLUMBUS, OH – KOBO LIVE
4/08 CHICAGO, IL – REGGIE’S
4/09 MINNEAPOLIS, MN – TRIPLE ROCK
4/10 LAWRENCE, KS – REPLAY LOUNGE
4/11 DENVER, CO – MARQUIS THEATER
4/12 SALT LAKE CITY – BURT’S TIKI LOUNGE
4/13 BOISE, ID – THE SHREDDER
4/14 VANCOUVER, BC – ELECTRIC OWL
4/15 SEATTLE, WA – EL CORAZON
4/16 PORTLAND, OR – ROTTURE
4/17 SAN FRANCISCO, CA THEE PARKSIDE
4/20 SAN DIEGO, CA – SODA BAR

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