Those chaps at Landscape have another fine quality piece of hardware for you to get in time for Christmas, with these brand new Land Speed bearings.
Featuring removable rubber shields so you can get your mitts dirty and clean them once in a while, these should be in all good retailers by November.
www.landscapeskateboards.com for more details
Kill City Skateboards and Dead Metal Clothing are throwing a jam to end all Halloween skate jams in Wales this week. Get down there and see Pritchard and Dainton eat offal.
Tour videos are a tough product to flog because they usually entail lots of skatepark footage, plenty of documented traveling boredom, and a limited time slot to produce top quality skateboarding. Somehow the pristine, finely edited, three years in the making, big budget video causes more of a stir.
That said, the Vans UK skateboard Tour that traveled up and down the country during one of the wettest summer seasons to date, 2007, managed to assemble a massive team of rippers, lots of good humour and plenty of sick skating. The line-up runs as follows: Marc Churchill, Ben Grove, Kris Vile, Hugo Liard, Gorgeous Dave, Howard Cooke, Chris Pfanner, James Gardner, Olly Tyreman, Kev Mackeon, Lois Pendlebury, Manhead, Pete King, Ben Nordberg, Chris Oliver, Tom Knox, Ross McGouran, Danny Wainwright, Sam Bruce and Rogie. Phew! Add Nic Powley as Dad, Andy Evans behind the viewfinder and a very old school bus painted black, and you have the recipe for a good time rolling.
With so many riders and spots documented during this trip, I’ll simply mention the major highlights. First of all Marc Churchill is British skateboarding’s comedy central with a voice bite every time he opens his chops. Kris Vile could be a strong contender for British skater of the year if ever the award existed over here. James Gardner was suffering from a very gnarly groin injury but still managed to stick a sick frontside bluntslide down some Bristol rails. Hugo Liard and Chris Pfanner are good sports for putting up with British humour in the dingy confines of the old bus, and shred every spot to bits regardless. Ben Grove bagged the cash for facing the epic double set and riding away. And finally Howard Cooke has probably one of the gnarliest axle stalls ever in this video. 15 feet and rising…
One thing did stick out like a sore thumb though in this road documentary. Despite the UK having some of the best skate plazas in Europe, and a good handful of abundant indoor parks, the average turnout to these sheltered venues was poor. I can understand that turning up 2 days late to a demo might make a dent in the crowd attendance, but on several occasions you find it hard to spot more than a few faces smiling at the stellar show the UK Vans team put on. Rant over.
So, to conclude this commentary, the Vans UK team plus two Euros put in the effort to support a scene that sometimes forgets that they are willing to travel hundreds of miles in a mobile tin can just so Marc Churchill and Nic Powley can spread the gay bandito craze. Next time they roll through your town, don’t miss it!
Ralph Lloyd-Davis
If you haven’t seen this line already, then BT must have cut your phoneline, or cut your eyes out. Eric Koston just builds the hype for “that video” even more with another throwaway clip from the vaults.
The Sounds Of Animals Fighting have signed to Epitaph.
The prog-rock group, whose members are only known by their respective animal names, have started work on their new record, saying they are hoping to “reach new channels and new faces”.
TSOAF join the likes of Converge, The Locust, Refused and Sage Francis on the label and you can find out more info by clicking the MySpaz link below.
A zombie jam has been announced and taking place at The Boardroom Skatepark in Leicester this Wednesday 31st October 7pm til late.
It’s £3 to enter and £2.50 for those poncey student types. Expect a game of S.K.A.T.E. over/on the brand NEW mini spine with equally silly prizes, pure fun.
Get your fake blood out and get in there.
God knows what this Harvest blog is about, if you can read Japanese scripture then let us know.
However, some of the photos on it are rad, with some very odd looking decks flying about.
I need to go to Japan.
Buck 65 fans can rejoice.
The producer/rapper’s new album, Situation, is being streamed in full on his MySpace page and then you can buy it online from www.strangefamousrecords.com. Check out the album by clicking the link below, it’s already made Moose a happy man this morning!
A wax figure of Biggie was unveiled at New York’s Madame Tussauds.
The rapper’s statue was serenaded by the Brooklyn High School For The Arts at the ceremony in front of his mother who said:
“I’m a little emotional, ’cause I feel that that statue over there looks very much like my son. I wish it was real; I wish it was breathing. I’m extremely emotional. But at the same time I’m happy that Madame Tussauds has honored him and made a statue for the world to see.”
The film of his life is currently casting and reports are saying that the lead role is very close to being confirmed. Watch this space…www.atlanticrecords.com/notoriousbig
