“Be Safe” by Lulu James
Music Video Production doesn’t get much more atmospheric than this.
In 2012, aboard the floating tidal-powered installation ~Flow, an emerging Lulu James delivered a soulful acoustic performance of Be Safe—a song that would later become one of her early signatures.
Filmed just before her appearance at Newcastle’s Evolution Festival, this one-off session captured the power of her voice against the gentle creak and hum of the River Tyne. It’s a beautiful moment of artistic convergence—where site-specific sound art, rising talent, and documentary filmmaking meet in perfect harmony.
Shot as a one-off acoustic session, just days before her appearance at Evolution, the film captures a powerful and intimate moment between artist and place. It also stands as a document of a rare cultural meeting point—where experimental sound art, live music, and documentary film all converged on the water.
What Was ~Flow?
~Flow was no ordinary venue. A collaboration between composer Ed Carter and artist-engineers Owl Project, ~Flowwas commissioned for the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, the nationwide cultural programme running alongside the London Olympic Games. The project combined engineering, sculpture, environmental science, and sound design, resulting in a fully functioning musical instrument powered by the tides of the River Tyne.
Moored at Newcastle’s Quayside, ~Flow was constructed like a sculptural barge, open to the public and completely off-grid. It used sensors to capture real-time data from the river—salinity, flow rate, turbidity—and translated this information into sound using hand-crafted wooden instruments and mechanical devices built by Owl Project. Each visit to ~Flow offered a unique sonic experience, with the river literally playing its own music.
Visitors boarded via gangplank and explored a set of sculptural machines inside. The whole structure gently shifted with the current, creaked with tide and wood, and created an ever-changing auditory environment—a space that was both installation and instrument.
A Pre-Fame Acoustic Gem
It was within this innovative and slightly surreal space that Lulu James performed a delicate, emotive version of Be Safe. With only her voice and minimal guitar accompaniment, the performance was raw, resonant, and perfectly suited to the quiet lapping of water and rhythmic clunk of ~Flow’s internal workings. The river didn’t just sit in the background—it was an audible presence.
At the time of filming, Lulu James was building a name for herself on the North East music scene, with her self-styled blend of “21st Century Soul.” Her voice—soulful, rich, and rooted in both contemporary R&B and classic soul traditions—was already drawing comparisons to artists like Erykah Badu and Jessie Ware. This performance took place just before she was due to perform at Evolution Festival 2012, where she shared the bill with headline acts including Dizzee Rascal and Deadmau5.
The ~Flow session offers a glimpse into that turning point—when a young artist still grounded in the local scene begins to shift into wider recognition. It captures something not just of performance, but of place and potential.
Capturing Atmosphere: A Filmmaker’s Reflection
My approach to music video production — especially in unconventional settings like ~Flow — is guided by atmosphere rather than control. Rather than try to block out the sound of the river, the creaking of wood, or the hum of machinery, I lean into it. These ambient elements aren’t interruptions; they’re collaborators. They add texture and authenticity to the moment.
I filmed the session using a minimal setup, favouring handheld framing and natural light. This kept the focus on Lulu and the atmosphere of the installation. In editing, I let the ambient sounds breathe around her voice. There’s a fine line between documenting a performance and documenting a feeling, and this session felt like it sat right on that line.
Working on this project reminded me why I love filming artists and musicians—especially in non-traditional settings. When done well, these films don’t just capture a sound; they preserve a moment in an artist’s journey and a unique slice of cultural context.
A Cultural Time Capsule
Both ~Flow and this performance of Be Safe stand as cultural time capsules. ~Flow was only moored on the Tyne temporarily, a limited installation that lived through the summer of 2012. Lulu James, meanwhile, has gone on to perform at Glastonbury, collaborate with Jon Hopkins and Gorgon City, and release critically acclaimed records. But in this moment, in 2012, these two forces—the river-powered art barge and the emerging soul singer—briefly met.
Capturing that meeting on film, with all its quiet power and gentle motion, felt like bottling something ephemeral.
For more music related things I have made → Music Films