Every time a restaurant bill lands on your table, the thought crosses your mind. But it takes more skill than you think to do the dine and dash. The Chats’ music video for ‘Dine N Dash’, the new single from the Sunshine Coast trio’s upcoming album ‘High Risk Behaviour’, is an ode to the brazen act. NME Australia visited the band on set at Walter’s Steakhouse in Brisbane and got an inside look at their barmiest video yet.
Despite its bourgeois interior, Walter’s is often frequented by Australian and international rock stars. The venue is part-owned by Paul Piticco, former Powderfinger manager and managing director of Secret Service, the company behind Splendour In The Grass.
Plates signed by Tom Morello, Powderfinger, Mumford And Sons and Sneaky Sound System hang in the corridor to the bathroom. The Chats added their own plate to the wall during a break in shooting; it proudly reads “THE CHATS – CHEERS MATE – MUSHY SAUCE FOREVER”.
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The premise of ‘Dine N Dash’ is self-explanatory: The Chats hit up a fancy restaurant they have no business being in, disgust the wealthy patrons and commit the song’s titular act before being arrested. The extras had an easy brief, too: dress lavish, eat steak and be repulsed by The Chats’ behaviour. None were difficult tasks.
Guitarist Josh Price was the most creative when it came to desecrating the fine dining plates, dunking lamb chops in a mug of beer that vocalist Eamon Sandwith chugged without hesitation.
Director and Chats co-manager Matt Weston built the video for infamy, not least by securing a cameo from the world’s most famous meal thief – and the inspiration behind ‘Dine N Dash’ – himself. You will remember him from the grainy, ’80s-era arrest footage and his impeccable quips: “Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest!”, “What is the charge? Eating a meal, a succulent Chinese meal?” and “Get your hands off my penis!” among them.
Once Weston heard that this conman – widely believed to be a Hungarian-Australian by the name Paul Charles Dosza, though his identity is still contested to this day – was the inspiration behind ‘Dine N Dash’, the intrepid director decided to track him down. And he succeeded.
We weren’t allowed on set when the ledge was filming his cameo, but witnessed him deliver an impassioned monologue when his time was up.
Below is a taste of what it all looked like behind the scenes, courtesy of NME Australia photographer Matt Walter.
1Director Matt Weston kept the brief light
The Chats were quick to pay attention to Weston when they received direction on set.
2Shades on, game on
Sunglasses rarely left guitarist Josh Price’s face in between shooting.
3What’s the charge? A juicy steak meal?
These three actors made formidable antagonists for The Chats. They also doubled as wealthy extras during the meal.
4The price of ‘High Risk Behaviour’
The Chats pulled their best “democracy manifest” faces while getting shoved into a car.
5They entertained the crew
There was hardly a take from the band which didn’t cause a ripple of disbelieving laughter through the set.
6The Chats encountered fine dining
You can’t hear it in the final cut, but Price ordered the lobster every take.
7“This should be really disgusting”
Weston encouraged the boys to be as repulsive as possible while eating. English slapstick star Benny Hill was a common reference.
8Price was often the star of the show
The guitarist’s goofy attitude was appreciated by all.
9The beer flowed
The waiter showed the band the label of a 4XXX Gold beer like it was a bottle of Grange. Reader, that is not how you pour Grange.
10Sandwith and Price pushed their culinary limits
Matt Boggis could barely keep up with his revolting bandmates. The drummer dumped chips into his beer, which he immediately regretted; “I actually wanted to drink that,” he muttered.
11The Chats were aliens in this luxury setting
The rug below their table will never be the same again.
12They almost cleaned their plates
The Chats were destructive during the shoot, but they were also very, very hungry. They cleaned up a preposterous amount of food, smashed countless glasses and drank a homemade lamb chop-beer-salad cocktail.