The original Unabomber was an estranged man turned ‘terrorist’called Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski who wrote a manifesto entitled Industrial Society and its Future – a study that raised fears over modern technology within society.
British skateboard nomads, Unabomber, might support the fears that contemporary skateboarding and its industry are dangerous and disillusioned. Their response is skateboarding in its rawest form. Skate everything, skate now and skate hard. Urbane Mob is the latest installment to this possible manifesto. 20 minutes of unadulterated sick skate footage representing the new face of a British skate company that deserves your support.
My last point should not be dismissed. Unabomber has changed a lot since its conception and this DVD is an introduction to the new team bar good old Frank Stevens. Also, Urbane Mob gets right to the point- no frilly introductions, segue-ways or jazzy tunes. The editing technique is simple and efficient with the use of 8mm footage being sparse and limited. The soundtrack is heavy and moody, but definitely strong enough to get certain tracks stuck in your head.
Scott Whittaker opens the show and puts out a great section with lots of lines and clean skating. Scott’s style and skating might be a step away from the quirky and rugged profile some might associate with Unabomber, but honestly this part is a perfect opener that gets you stoked. Liam Sproat drops through next with a good introduction for the youngest upstart on the team. A few things could be refined, but essentially Liam is someone to keep an eye open for. Scoring a spot on the Unabomber team doesn’t translate in forum polls, magazine coverage and sponsorship deals. Riding for Unabomber means you’re riding for all the right reasons, and Liam proves this point. A friends section ensues and then we have the delight of viewing a full Frank Stephens section.
Ahh! Frank is a true individual who lets his skating do the talking. This Unabomber veteran hasn’t got anything to prove and dishes out some serious beatings to all kinds of spots. Without applying a bracket, Frank’s skating is gnarly as his 50-50 into a bank, or picture perfect backside 360 will show. A couple of the other older Unabomber troops get a few tricks in Frank’s part and it’s a real pleasure to watch.
Speaking of gnarly, one British skater who full deserves the prefix to their name is Ben Grove. Ben charges spot after spot and does so in such a manner as to wonder if he’s actually aware of the risks he runs. Perhaps over shadowed by the onslaught, I very much appreciated the backside 180 to fakie flip line at Sheffield’s Devonshire Green skatepark. Style to a T.
The end part is undoubtedly the strongest and Oxford’s Tom Watts fits the role perfectly. Tom is a proper machine with ridiculous board control and balls slipped into those skin tight jeans. I must say, I prefer the loose clothes myself… In any case, Tom puts out a relentless attack on all surfaces and even charges switch at some perilous spots.
In total, Urbane Mob represents the rawer side to what British skateboarding can offer, and Unabomber leads the charge. The team even spreads its wrath overseas as numerous Belgian spots gets proverbially ‘shut down’ for a while. Clocking in at 20 minutes, a brooding soundtrack and some sick skateboarding, the new Unabomber video is good to go!
Ralph L-D
22.01.07