Following his Outliers film on TWS, Chris Thiessen is back with a new flick, Headcleaner that will have new footage of Brad Cromer, Jimmy Lannon, Matt Creasy and more filmed in Long Beach CA, Chattanooga TN, Atlanta GA, NYC, and Florida. Get on the 2nd trailer before this premieres.
If you missed the first one…
If you’ve seen Pedro Barros’ section in the new Vans Propeller video and followed his rise then you know what’s coming next. This montage edit was shot in various spots in Australia this year with Vi Kakinho.
No-Comply Skate Shop in Austin, Texas, widen their family as they introduce Garrett Young in this banging new edit. Watch him kill it.
Elijah Berle takes Photo of the Week with this vert move. Him and his Vans buddies destroyed it in Propeller, download it today here.
Pass~Port’s latest arrival dropped a rad welcome edit. Say hello to Nik Stapanovic.
The fastest feet award went to Pink Fool, Paul Anguenot.
Travel edit of the Week will always be awarded to Patrik Wallner. Madagascar was his latest destination.
Pay some homage to the infamous Brixton Beach in this short web doc.
The Ledge Skate Shop crew hit up Barca’s spots.
Today’s vault choice comes from Lakai’s Fully Flared. Blow yourself up to this classic.
Wand
Golem
In The Red
As the eerie space wind samples that precede Golem greet your ears, there’s a sense of trepidation and tension instilled, but its laced with magic and set to explode. Wand’s opening riffs are as merciless as they come, and take a firm grip on your malleable mind that refuses to let go for thirty five minutes straight.
Tube amps cooking hot and phasers set for the heart of the sun, Wand sound like Sleep on speed. The sheer power and noise behind ‘The Unexplored Map’ is enough to knock you straight through a stone wall, and it’s both terrifying and exciting that this is just the beginning of their nine track assault.
Sure, you could argue that there’s a somewhat saturated scene as of late, with any old Tom, Dick or Harry shouting the odds over a din of feedback and fuzz and calling it “psych”. But Wand are the antidote to these teenage dirt bags, standing alone in their own bold sonic dimension.
Tracks like ‘Reaper Invert’ and ‘Floating Head’ summon the kind of sludge you’d expect to hear oozing like molasses from the double-stacks of King Buzzo, while ‘Melted Rope’ floats up to newfound cosmic territories with delight, seeing frontman Cory Hanson’s vocal warble almost recalling that of Lennon’s, if he’d hooked up with Kevin Parker via some time travel assisted jam.
Wand’s display of fine sonic wares doesn’t stop there, though. ‘Cave In’s misleading riffs morph into a crazed double-time stampede of swirling noise that just cries for the volume knob on your hi-fi to be, not cranked, but yanked clean off in a frenzy of ear-bending glee. Shortly before namesake ‘Planet Golem’ stoops to Sabbath levels of dark doom rock before oscillating into near-speed metal territory.
Long after Golem has peaked, you’re left marvelling at a record that unites both the futuristic and the fantastical. Whether you’re a fan of medieval sludge and doom, or sci-fi synth mystique, Wand show no fear in blending the two together seamlessly.
Golem is out now on In Red Records.
Fos picked a total winner for his collab with long term buddies Emerica. The Wino Cruiser is a perfect chiller and will assist a few cruises too I’m sure. Look out for these in selected skate shops out there.
Poison Idea
The Borderline, London
May 7th
Poison Idea have history right in the centre of London. All of their 90s appearances in the capital exploded in the centre; from that first incendiary performance with the Hard Ons at ULU in ’91, to the legendary Marquee and Astoria gigs, tonight Poison Idea returned to hit the centre dead-on again at The Borderline. With pretty much all of the rock n’ roll now flattened and demolished in Central London, the heart ripped out of it, it’s fitting to have Jerry A and his kings of punk return to the ruins and re-charge it once again with their vital metallically-charged hardcore punk.
As we climb down the stairs into the pit of punks crammed in to The Borderline, the first thing that hits you is the stench of puke and sweat, the deathly aroma of punk. The room is buzzing (and gagging on the smell) with anticipation for the return of Portland’s legendary Poison Idea who are very much back. Their new album ‘Confuse & Conquer’ is the best they’ve recorded since 1992’s ‘Blank Blackout Vacant’ and Jerry finally has a line-up that is committed, settled and does the music justice. Currently three-quarters through the longest and most gruelling tour they’ve done in many years, Jerry’s punished voice may be raw and ripped but from the moment the band hit the stage, they are bone-tight and packed full of power. With ’87 era-guitarist Eric ‘The Vegetable’ Olsen back in the band and stick-thin drummer Nathan Richardson pounding the skins with more power than his appearance might suggest, Poison Idea kill it tonight.
Yes, it takes a few songs for Jerry’s voice to settle in but once it does, it’s as snarled and powerful as it ever was. “This one’s for Nigel Farage,” he says as the band steam into ‘Discontent’ (“listen Nazi, never again,”) and the entire room detonates into a flurry of limbs and sweat. And the hits just keep on coming. They play pretty much every essential song you could want to hear – ‘Just To Get Away’, ‘Getting The Fear’, ‘Punish Me’, ‘Taken By Surprise’ and ‘Give It Up’ , all of which square up well with the sprinkling of new ‘Confuse & Conquer’ tracks the band play tonight.
At the end a woman’s boot is thrown onstage. Jerry picks it up, empties half a bottle of cider into the bottom of it and swills the contents into his mouth. “Tastes like a size 6,” his says before the band wind the set up with a double stab of Johnny Thunders and Avengers covers. A perfect punk rock night. We’re so fucking glad Poison Idea are still here.
James Sherry
Ph: Ewen Bower takes a stalefish on the beach shot by Rich West
Jason Caines’ love of Brixton Beach has been documented and he is not alone. Long Live Stockwell Skatepark indeed, it’s handed a lifeline to so many generations since the late 70s and should stay there forever, out of the hands of greedy developers and the rest of the scumbags keen to take it over and sell out the space.
British rippers Sam Beckett and Jake Collins got a sesh in at the Transworld park over the pond and laid down some treats. It’s short but what an ender!
Having released their long awaited second album, II, this week via Sub Pop, Metz have shared a brand new music video for ‘The Swimmer’ to mark the occasion.
Watch the story unfold in a frenzy of Gif-style jitters below, packed with all the Chris Cunningham-esque face stretching and big googly eyes you like.