London’s Royal Docks has provided the memorable backdrop for film and TV productions, including this music promo for the biggest UK band of their era, Oasis.
The footage for the band’s 1997 single D’You Know What I Mean was shot in Beckton Gas Works on the north bank of the Thames at Gallions Reach. The phrases Be Here Now and Do You Know What I Mean are emblazoned on the walls of the building in Czech. The video ends with shots of the band looking out from the open door of a helicopter high above the docks.
Beckton Gas Works was built in 1868 on a 500-acre site on the north bank of the Thames at Gallions Reach, known as the East Ham Levels. Such was the importance of the plant that the area of Beckton was named after the chairman of the Gas Light and Coke Company Simon Adams Beck. The GLCC is the original company from which British Gas was established in 1986 and the origins of the GMB Union can be traced back to Beckton Gas Works. The waste from the gas works were famously known in the area as Beckton Alps, providing a toxic playground for the children who grew up in the area.
The Smiths and 80s indie outfit Loop are just a couple of the bands who also shot promos at the gas works. See the full video for Do You Know What I Mean here.