A new wheel company has launched this week by Alex Irvine and Richard ‘French’ Sayer with a team of total rippers on board for the ride. Car 13 has the likes of Sebi Dorfer, Sam Beckett, Steve Forstner, Julien Benoliel, Jake Collins & Rikk Fields on the team roster. Expect more from this crew in 2016.
Lovenskate have a limited run of 25 pool decks on sale this week inked by British illustrator French. These very limited wooden collectors pieces are £55 and screen printed tip to tail in purple and non tarnishing gold. These were printed for French’s Scion Installation that ran in Los Angeles back in September 2012. The exhibition showcased not just drawings, but also a number of super limited edition products French has designed and illustrated over the years.
Get one whilst stocks last.
French discusses all things Witchcraft over at the Native site this week. Look out for team riders at this year’s Crossfire Xmas Jam.
French has a limited run of decks printed for his upcoming Scion Installation in Los Angeles on the 29th September. The exhibition will showcase not just drawings, but also a number of super limited edition products French has designed and illustrated over the years.
Lovenskate printed a very limited run of 25 Pool Shaped boards this week for the show that are all numbered and awaiting your order.
The coven at Witchcraft have unleashed raw metal from the vaults of Jamie Morley‘s latest sessions. Push buttons for the Death Strike.
The Harmony Skateboards have hooked up with London based illustrator French for some of their Spring 2012 clothing collection. Have a gander here at the new goods that will be heading their way into your local skate shop that are featured on their newly launched website today.
The latest Funeral Fog edit from Alan Glass is now online featuring a plethor of different skaters at many parks, bowls and DIY spots in the UK. Click for death.
I’m sure it’s safe to say that you’ve all probably already seen the edits and highlights of the brilliant Vans Downtown Showdown skate event that was held in London in August this month. Instead of covering the event trick by trick, we decided to focus on an alternative view with the help of hardworking artist, French as he designed the artwork. So this video series will cover the Showdown itself, a guest pro interview and an insight into French’s daily life as part of our Day In The Life skate art series that will all make sense on Halloween this year.
In the first part of three episodes, we kick off the day in question at French’s gaff by waking up the Antiz guys and heading over to Spitalfields Market to see what went down. Be sure to tune in next week where we interviewed ‘The Mayor of the Piss Drunks’ and Vans pro Dustin Dollin.
Jazz Cafe, London
09.04.11
When a well established French act come to town, it’s a pretty safe bet that there will be a large crowd, all of whom are ready to prove their Gallic credentials and support their countrymen. So when it was announced that hip hop act Hocus Pocus were hitting the capital, it was clear that the Jazz Cafe in Camden was going to be full to the brim, and that’s exactly what it was.
Bursting onto the stage with a keyboard player, drummer, guitarist, bassist, three piece horn section and DJ Grem on the decks, frontman 20syl took the show by the scruff of the neck immediately, huge smile on his face and ready to dance. For their part, the crowd threw their hands in the air and began cheering and whistling along to every song from the word go too.
Running through the fan-favourites Smile [with UK’s Omar hitting the stage for the chorus line], Mr Tout Le Monde and Hip Hop?, 20syl was the perfect focal point for a band so tight it was impossible to find any imperfections. Speaking in both his mother tongue and excellent English, the rapper got the crowd singing drum kicks, turn table scratches and had the crowd bouncing and freezing at his every whim, providing a masterclass in crowd participation.
The fun wasn’t all focussed on their album tracks either, with each member of the band providing short recordings of one sound, be it a hi-hat, kick, snare or chorus line and building up a beat through these layered levels before perfoming a track over said improvised beat – it was truly something to behold. Even if the band hadn’t spoken English at any point, the non-Francophiles in the crowd would still have had a great time. It was what hip hop shows are meant to be – fun.
By the time the group had left the stage, there wasn’t a single person left in the venue that had any energy left, a perfect way to end the night.
Abjekt.
Hail Joxa! The Barrow Boy turned Japan-loving omnipotent slayer of transitions across lands far and near has now officially joined the Witchcraft coven and will be riding with French’s Sabbat on the road from now on. We couldn’t have imagined a more perfect fit for the team.
Check out a typically Joxa-tastic welcome poster below and click here to have a read of the Fresh Blood interview Brewer did for us last year.
