Reece Leung Sean Lomax Stu Robinson James Griffiths Rich West Leo Sharp Rafal Wojnowski Hannah Martin Lisa O’Hara Bobbi Abbey Zach Riley Jason Brown Tom Abbiss Smith Jenna Wenna Bobenna
Guy Jones Heywood Ward Kathryn Hall Aaron Wilmot
Front Cover Photo: Chris Jones - Fakie Kickflip - Reece Leung Artwork: Lisa O’Hara www.vaguemag.com vagueskatemag@gmail.com Instagram @vagueskatemag
Photo By Sean Lomax
PREACHING TO THE CONVERTED
One of the most cherished things about skateboarding is the community it embraces, supports and creates. This has exposed numerous people to some of the finest art, music and cultures which may not have been acknowledged, let alone in such an endorphin provoking environment. This is pretty much the backbone to this publication and we love everything that has influenced us. However it is with a heavy heart that we celebrate the life of Chris Barrett. He’s left such an incredible mark on everyone he met and the UK skateboarding scene as a whole; be it the physical act of slaying North West terrain, to being an absolute joy to be around. As such a strong community we are there for each other but at the same time it can do wonders to speak to someone with no emotional attachment. It’s guaranteed that we will all go through dark times at some point and that’s when we should not only empathise but encourage any route to help others. This is not to say that people can stop anything and everything negative from happening but more that we are there for anyone who needs even just a chat. There are some brilliant workshops and groups (see ‘Designing Out Suicide’ for one of the finest examples). ‘The Laughing Heart’ by Charles Bukowski seems particularly pertinent to this attempt of an intro. Regardless, the more light we let in, the better mankind will be. Maximum love to all those who have ever been affected. R.I.P. Chris Barrett “Sub50 Forever”
CONTENTS JIRI BULIN LISA O’HARA NIKE SB UK 58 TOUR ART GALLERY CHPO & SKATE NATION UMBRELLA BREWING PHOTO GALLERY INWYF: GLASGOW
Hugo Boserup - Frontside Wallride Photo: Reece Leung
JIRI BULIN J to the B, Czech Republic to the North West of Blighty. In the 21st century, to be aware of someone not through social media (yeah that age old complaint from us) in a positive sense is becoming rarer and rarer (56K y’all!). Jiri shreds and has an outlook on life which those least unaware should be most jealous of. When he’s not annihilating Mancunian crust you’ll probably find (or not find as the case may be) him and his missus (Zdeňka) appreciating the qualities of real life, travelling and exploring the way a lot of us should do more often. Big up yer sen Jiri, you’re one of the purest!
Interview by Guy Jones
Photography by Reece Leung Artwork by Bobbi Abbey
Heelflip To Cobbles
Backside Smith Grind Ollie
Yes Jiri! What’s going on fella? What are you up to? Yes pal! Just living the good old Manchester life. Working at Black Sheep Store and skating whenever it’s not raining. Had a great summer up here so yeah it’s been good to me.
Manchester (laughs).
When you first moved here people would refer to you as George, could you please tell us the correct way to pronounce your name and does anyone still call you George? Lots of people still call me George because nobody can pronounce my actual name properly (laughs). In Czech we have extra letters in our alphabet that we had to practice when we were kids. It’s the “ř“ what tangles your tongue up. Its more like “yiree” (laughs).
Did you essentially walk off the plane and into the Black Sheep Store family? How did you first start hanging with them and did you try their collab beer? Yeah I got lucky with meeting Stu Reynolds and Eddie Belvedere in Prague one day and mentioned that I wanted to try moving to the UK. A year later when I showed up in Manchester the whole Black Sheep family really welcomed me with open arms. They looked after me loads and showed me how to make a proper brew. About the beer, yeah had a bottle - it was quite strong but good!
When was it you moved here and how strong was your English? Moving to the Mancunian side of the North West has definitely influenced your accent. Are there any Manc phrases you’re particularly fond of? It must be around 8 years ago now. They taught me English at school since I was like 6 and it was the only subject I really enjoyed and was good at. So I was coming to Manchester pretty confident but the reality was different. I had no idea what was going on. It took me a while to get over the accents but now people say I could lie about being from
I like how you can put “love” at the end of pretty much any sentence and also like when somebody calls me “cocker” so I can call them “shag” in return (laughs).
Do you visit home much? I’ve heard the Czech hospitality is second to none. Could you tell us a bit about where you grew up and what provoked the move to Blighty? I used to go once a year to see my friends and family but I’ve not been back for a while. People I grew up skating with either stopped or got stuck in their comfort zone/pub which they’re not planning to leave any time soon. We don’t really have much in common anymore. I’m an explorer and I always
want to see more. Its hard to stay in touch with people that have a completely different mind set. But I will take this opportunity to apologise to my parents for not coming over to see them as much as I should. Sorry mum and dad! Have you ever read ‘The Unbearable Lightness’ of being? No I never read that. I’ve probably read 5 books
in my time. They were all prison and drug related for some reason. You and your missus (Zdeňka) spend a lot of time going to the wilderness. Could you explain some of the benefits of these rural retreats and where are some of your preferred locations to update your serenity? Yeah thats pretty much how we got together,
Frontside Bluntslide Backside Kickflip
buying last minute flights to places without having any plan. It’s great having someone who isn’t scared to do that with you. These expeditions keep me sane really and give me a lot to look forward to. They also keep Zdeňka sweet (laughs). Which reminds me we have a one way ticket to Thailand in November to a little village with a skatepark called Pai. Zen level is pretty high in those ends (laughs).
Give us a list of things you should always take when going on these expeditions. Depends where you go really. As long as I’m not hungry, cold or getting eaten by something and I have weed it’s all good. When going somewhere without the local 24 hour shop it’s pretty hard to nail it first time.
Switch 360 Flip Overleaf: Switch Backside Tailslide
What situations have you been in when you’ve been under prepared and do you know of any stories where people have been really cut short? Well once we happened to be unprepared mentally when we found ourselves with a bunch of Rastas drinking this gnarly shroom shake in the pitch black somewhere in a jungle. Wasn’t quite ready for that (laughs)! Another time we took a highway on a motorbike in the middle of Vietnam and obviously we ran out of petrol. If I had spare gas I could’ve avoided having to push my bike up the road for hours. Next time! Did you do any martial arts when you were younger? I’m trying to work out how you have achieved that ‘Tony Jaa’ mega catch on your tricks. I played netball when I was a kid (laughs). I was a little shit so I got kicked out, then my mum tried to get me involved with water scouts, which I also wasn’t keen for. I had got to the age where I knew what I wanted to do. But ever since I started skating I wanted to do boned ollies. That was my dream and now it kind of just goes that way. Did you wear sweat pants before you moved to England and what are some of your favourite garms to wear right now? Haha yes they have always been my favourite. I’m trying to grow out of it but they keep coming back
stronger. I got this pair of Black Sheep trackies. Saggy knees, more brown than black, chewing gum stuck to them and they’re still the best pants I have. Yeah, I’m that guy (laughs). It seems like working with Mark Kendrick is a perfect match for you both. Have you got more psychedelic since your friendship blossomed and have you any good stories from filming/ jamming together? I’ve never been a party boy but Kendrick made me want to look at the world from the psychedelic side, so I guess I got more ‘trippy’ since knowing Kendo. I’ve known him pretty much from the beginning of being in England, around the same time he asked me if I want to have a section in ‘Shads’. Mark has got good taste in everything, so he definitely inspires me. Didn’t you just go on a trip with Piilgrim Clothing to Iceland recently? How the fuck was that? Iceland was pretty surreal! We went in the peak time of the summer solstice which meant it never got dark. The sky at 3am looked like 8pm in English summer. First we were all hyped on it but after few days it was spinning me out. We only skated around Reykjavik but the team all went in! It was really nice to see everyone skate the city in a different way. I bet it was sick skating with Frank Stephens,
had you met him before? Yeah I’ve spent some time with Frank before, but when I met him for the first time I didn’t realise that most of the UK scene grew up on his video parts. He didn’t have that vibe about him, nice and modest. It’s nice seeing it from both sides, a true living legend! Wait for the Iceland clip, he still has it! Do you get on less international missions as well? Eddie Belvedere’s Fiat Panda seems as indestructible as a Savier shoe! A Savier shoe hasn’t got shit on that Panda. I haven’t spent too much time in it but when I did it was pretty wild and dangerous (laughs). Fully backing Eddie for these expeditions but I just couldn’t keep up with him (laughs). You’ve been shooting with Reece a lot for this piece, what were the biggest struggles to overcome (E.G. spot kick outs, local nutters etc.) and did you ever go celebrate with him after a successful mission? Reece is magnificent at the party! Yeah Reece is definitely a blessing for
Manchester skaters, as Seb Batty once said! Not just Manc either. Yeah we’ve been shooting for a while now and he has always made me do something I was proud of and took a banging photo of it, so big thanks to Reece. I only just learned switch tres’ so I thought “yeah just go faster and do a roadgap”. I had to go there 3 times! An hour and half session each time (laughs). That was memorable. We tend to go spoons for victory beers whenever we have the chance. I’ve seen him proper peak only couple of times as I don’t come out that often myself. It’s a powerful sight though (laughs). Good times! What have you got lined up for the future? Any trips, consumable or otherwise? Yeah I have pretty much one month left before we go back to Pai where we’re gonna work in ‘Green hostel/skatepark’ and see more of Asia after. I’m now trying to get as much stuff done as possible so I have bits coming out while I’m away and mainly working on the next Piilgrim edit and Sean Lomax’s video. Sub50 Forever!
We’ve been fans of Lisa O’Hara and her work for some time now and thought we’d try and get kudos for using her sterling work in the mag, you know like introducing someone to a specific band and taking credit for it as if you wrote those beautiful melodies yourself. Aside from the incredible physical attributes each piece of her work displays, we love the reasoning behind each thing. Not doing a heartless piece for a company just for the sake of it but actually choosing the things she wants to support and would be proud to be associated with. Something we think most people should do more of (that’s right, we’re talking to you Murdoch empathisers!). This article is just a peep through the keyhole into her world and everyone should support her to support others.
Interview by Kathryn Hall & Guy Jones Artwork by Lisa O’Hara
LISA O’HARA
What’s Sheffield like as a creative home? Leafy, friendly, loud, CLASS. Where did your passion for gig posters and zines first alight and did this format hold a special nostalgia to yourself? It used to be a form of paying in kind, entrance into gigs I could otherwise not afford. And zines are just a thrifty way of getting your work seen. They’re fun to make and swap. I do like to look back on the first posters and zines I ever made, I was never as bad as I thought I was. Regarding influence, who are you hyped on and who lies at the foundations of your inspiration? Any childhood memories of trying to mimic other artists? I’ve had phases of wishing I was anything from Neil Buchanan to Kathleen Hanna, but who hasn’t?
The inspirations that stick with me usually come from comics, or some form of Pop Art. I’m really into Dadaist Clara Tice at the moment, she was a practicing artist in around 1915. I’ve only just found out about her though, which is shit. Any zines you’d particularly recommend? Too many to mention. A really important one is CALMzine. ‘Campaign Against Living Miserably’. Anyone who’s spent some time with you at home, in your studio or at the local carboot will know you’ve got quite an eye for the kitsch. What are the most prized items in your collection (particularly anything that’s inspired your illustrations)? I’ve got a huge massive collection of ceramic dogs. It’s getting a bit daft now. I’ve got a load of creatures that are made out of glass too, they’ve got a strange
dynamic to them - so they’re interesting to draw. I also like collecting plastic and glass eyes - the kind you’d buy for making stuffed animals. My studio is like a nana’s garage. What is it about dogs you enjoy drawing? Is it a case of Mark Twain “The more people I meet the more I like my dog?” It’s also probably a lot to do with The Simpsons or Ren and Stimpy. The pointier the dog the better to draw. Wolfhounds are a go-to but I also love a saggyfaced pooch. If I walk past a nice dog in the street I tend to smile at the dog instead of the person. Creatures are better. Ralph Steadman has a really great series of dog illustrations well worth a look. On the subject, please big up your parents colossal pooch! O’Hara’s always have a good dog! Poppy is my parent’s lovely poodle dog. She’s a massive luck dragon. Also she can sniff her own arse whilst stood up straight, just by turning to the right or left. Mucky pup. The only thing she struggles with is a car journey. So she’s never been able to come visit me in Sheffield. Which is sad, as my friend, fellow illustrator Sarah Abbott, has a dog called Wilson. Wilson is like a mini version of Poppy, and I think given the opportunity they’d make really good pals. Maybe Wilson should drive to Scunny instead. Could you please explain a bit about ‘Designing Out Suicide’ zine and events please? How did
it come about and who’s behind it? It seems so beneficial in every sense! It’s something I started when this really great guy I knew, Lecky, ended his life. I didn’t know him very well, but it was a real shock to such a big group of my friends. I saw friends raising money for a charity called ‘Campaign Against Living Miserably’ (CALM). CALM make a zine called CALMzine, for men. Men are statistically more likely to commit suicide than women. But there were so many prompts for me to want to create a sister zine for parity, as the numbers of suicide in women is still too high. DOS and CALM aren’t affiliated, just purely inspired by them. All of the submissions are to raise awareness of women suffering with mental health problems and suicidal ideations. We’re taking submissions right now for the 4th edition: www. designingoutsuicide. com. In the years up to now I’ve had the time to run workshops to support the zine, so fingers crossed I’ll get a little time off for this one to hold a couple of creative workshops of some kind. With both ‘Designing out Suicide’ and ‘Burn the Witch’ you’ve created spaces for women to open up, express themselves and have fun free from any fear of judgement. Why was it important to you to initiate these projects and where do you plan on taking the ideas next? Because the majority of people I learned about
in school were pioneering male artists, scientists, historians, politicians etc etc.. And loads of my heroes growing up were male illustrators or men in bands, who have turned out to be scum. Even women still say things like “Oh so you’re in a girl band?” to me. Margaret Atwood said, “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them and women are afraid that men will kill them.” Young girls are so much more progressive these days, more than I ever was encouraged to be, so I just want to keep up the momentum. I don’t know what we’ll be doing next but I imagine ‘Burn The Witch’ will be happening again in 2019. You’re originally from Sunny Scunthorpe right? Have you got any good stories from growing up there? I’m sure there’s a fair few tales affiliated with Joe and the rest of Sievehead… It’s such a weird place to grow up. I’ve got so many memories of the kids from my area doing really odd stuff. It’s only when I’ve told the stories, as an adult, that I realise they’re uncommon. A friend of my brother’s drove his go-cart off the fort (huge wooden climbing frame thing) and landed upside down. He was ok - it’s fine. Another boy from around the corner, called Keith, found a lipstick in the park once and he took his top off and totally covered the top half of his body with it. He seemed pretty happy about it. Maybe they were on something I
didn’t know about. Joe didn’t do anything like that though, unfortunately. What’s your favourite sandwich? Knuckle sandwich. Regarding the commissions it seems that you produce work for things you’re interested in or want to support as opposed to doing whatever for whoever. Do you approach the client or do they approach you? Our favourite book store ‘Minnow’ is one of our favourites of your logo work. Minnow is the best book shop. I do work that I don’t put online, probably if it’s just a bit dry. I work full time as a graphic designer as well as doing
illustration, freelance. I rarely cross the streams. You produced a series of iconic women’s faces presented on tins, Frida Kahlo, Joan of Arc and countless other females who have had major influences on our society feature. The subject is obviously incredible, is there something that inspires you to draw women’s faces in particular? My brothers used to take the piss out of me for playing with Barbies, so I used to draw people and cut them out instead, so I could kind of secretly play with ‘Barbies’ still. So that’s probably where drawing women came from actually. I do draw men sometimes. Most of the time people look like they’re in drag. Maybe I’m just good at capturing your inner queen. Are there any materials you’d like to experiment with using your illustration or otherwise? The more stuff to muck about with, the better! I’ve just started making my own patterns for fabric dogs. As well as regularly penning gig posters, you’ve also been a familiar face on stage at gigs around South Yorks. We hear you’re in a new band – can you tell us a bit about Sister Wives? I don’t know how to describe us yet, we’ve only had two gigs so far, but it’s a lot of fun. Sister Wives are Liv Willars from Feature, Donna Lee from Nachthexen and Rose Love from Zealous Doxy.
They’re all really great and very funny, we work well together. Donna sings and shouts in Welsh, I like it a lot. What’s it like to date Jonathan from Queer Eye? We’re all very jealous! Well - you’re going to have to get permission from JVN’s agent to print that. But yeah, he’s a force. Can you believe? Is there anything you’d like to leave the audience with? Hiya mum.
NIKE SB UK 58 TOUR
There are numerous reasons to go on tours, not only is it a fantastic time for team members to bond and skate fresh terrain, but also to socialise and immerse in different scenes. This was all obviously prevalent with this specific trip of Nike SB brethrin, but also a side motive for one Welsh bank slayer. Is it a co-incidence that Chris and Indiana both share the same surname of Jones and hate Nazis? Words by Guy Jones
Photography by Reece Leung
Hugo Boserup - Backside Ollie
Chris Jones - Ollie Then Ride On 5-0 Kyron Davis - Wallride Frontside Feeble
Originally we laughed this theory out to the bins of our non-existent office but after a few more than co-incidental happenings (see Tony Bone III for evidence) we looked into the matter a bit more. Chris had mentioned points of archaeological interest to us in the past, not only did he study some of the most delectable of historical scriptures at university but he'd also taken to wearing brown fedora's and carried more whips and maps than usual.
The tour was a great opportunity for sound heads to drop skateboard hammers throughout this great nation (don't buy The S*n!), from Edinburgh to Peckham Rye but also for Chris to find some hidden gems for himself. The evenings in Scotland merged people dropping in make shift banks in kitchens to the beautifully rugged spots. The Buckfast mixed with the euphoria of skateboarding provided ample opportunities for searching out mystical bounty and it seems the first part of the quest was complete for all parties.
Casper Brooker - Wallride Nollie Hugo Boserup - Ollie Footplant
Downward through the isle and into England the Buckfast got swapped for cocktails and the spots became marginally smoother, each city providing it's own charm and further additions to the, well, not quite biblical, but damn important findings! We think Chris got what he was looking for. Anyway if you don't believe us we'll see you in the streets son! One thing's for sure he looks handsome doesn't he?
Eniz Fazliov - Ollie Transfer Kyron Davis - Nose Manual Pop Out
Myles Shankie - Fakie Ollie Hugo Boserup - Frontside Nosegrind
ART GALLERY
Stuart Robinson
Zach Riley
Jason Brown
Tom Abbiss Smith
Jenna Wenna Bobenna
CHPO & SKATE NATION CHPO are one of those companies that go way beyond making products and actually use their platform to benefit others building an ethos even Ken Loach would be jealous of. Based in Sweden, we spoke to Viktor, one of the pioneers of CHPO, to find out more about their programmes helping refugees and getting them to start skateboarding, creating fine products where proceeds help those less vulnerable whilst battling homophobia, racism and sexism. You wouldn’t catch Rupert fucking Murdoch doing that would you!? Everyone involved in this company, we tip our hats to you and thank you for paving a moralistic path that everyone should take note of and support!
Interview by Guy Jones
Skate Nation Photos: Dennis Olzon
Photography by Dennis Olzon, Zorah Olivia, Dennis Ylikangas & Robin Nilssen
Ali Boulala Photo: Dennis Ylikangas
Vanessa Torres Photo: Zorah Olivia
Could you please tell us a bit about CHPO’s initial inception, when did it become a reality and who are the key people behind it? CHPO was founded in late 2013 by my business partner Johan Graffner and myself here in Stockholm, Sweden. As a brand we have our roots in skateboarding, music and art. When creating the brand we had two main ideas. The first was to build a brand that had all the qualities of a premium watch and sunglass brand. Good quality made under good circumstances, a good design and strong brand to back it up, but sold at a price level so most could afford it. The reason we wanted this is because growing up I couldn’t afford the gear I wanted to wear so I ended up with crap most of the time which wasn’t good for anyone involved. The second idea is that we wanted to create a brand that stood for something good. There is so much shit in the world, and so many things going in the wrong direction, so we wanted to see what we could do. And with a brand you get a voice. So in all our communication we take a strong stand against racism, homophobia and hatred towards women. And to make sure this isn’t just words, we do one or two collaborations every season where we donate 100% of the profits to what we think is a good cause. For example, we have an ongoing collab
with Skateistan and have been able to donate over 30, 000 GBP so far. Was it always the intention to combine products with your strong ethos? It’s a brilliant idea and I feel that the 2 platforms not only compliment each other but add more depth to CHPO. Yeah, that has been our goal since day one. To build a brand that people like and that does good at the same time. We hope to inspire other brands to go in the same direction, because as you say the two platforms build each other and gives more to the brand and the people buying it. You’re not just buying a watch. Regarding funding does it come entirely from your product sales or do you have other ways of acquiring help to progress your work? 95% from our products, and 5% from events we do. For example, we had two kids from Afghanistan designing their own boards together with two
Swedish graphic artists, and the money from that was donated to Skateistan. We also organise one or two skate flea markets every year where the profits are donated to our own skate school for refugee kids. You have an incredible programme helping facilitate refugees. How did this come about and how has it developed to what it is today? A silly question as it’s obviously incredible what you do but why this specifically and would you like to expand into an official charity or go further afield into other sectors of helping people? We have a skate school together with Stockholm Skatepark called Skate Nation (nicked from Zulu Nation), which is a way to welcome and integrate refugee kids into the Swedish society. It started during what is referred to as the refugee crisis in 2015. We wanted to do something and the something we usually do is skateboarding so we combined the two. We didn’t really have a plan at first, we just did it once to see if it would work, and it did. So we decided to do it again, and now it has been going on for three years, and we have had around 400 kids at the school. Which is cool. But the coolest thing is that skateboarding as
a tool to integrate people into to a new society really works. As soon as these kids start skating they are no longer looked upon as refugee kids or whatever, they are looked upon as skaters. And the skate scene in Stockholm has been more than welcoming. So now you will see these kids ripping all over the city. Their Swedish is better than their peers who don’t skate, and they now have friends from all over the world. Can any of you directly relate to any of the refugee’s stories and are there any cases you’ve experienced through CHPO you would like to share? The job satisfaction of something like this must be next to none. The obvious one is that six of the kids we have had at the school for over a year are now the coaches and the ones who welcome new Swedes into the country through skateboarding. Which is rad! Another one is that one of the guys we have at the school is really into freestyle skateboarding. When we found out that the freestyle world championship would be held in Sweden last summer, we entered
him in the spring and then gave him the possibility to skate with one of the best freestyle skaters in Sweden over the summer, which he did. When it was time for the competition, he was the first person from Afghanistan to enter a skateboarding world championship. He didn’t win, but made it to the final! Got any intentions of expanding these projects and are there any collaborations or events in the pipeline to raise further awareness? The plan is to expand Skate Nation to other cities in Sweden, and then hopefully also other cities around Europe. We have proof that it works, so instead of complaining how integration in your city isn’t working we welcome you to start a skate school. For collaborations we are launching a new watch with Skateistan this fall in celebration of their 10-year anniversary. Silver coloured, with the 10 in gold and green hands. It looks too good. Some of the people affiliated with the brand are massive household names, Vanessa Torres and the ‘Nuge’ to name but a few. How did they get involved and what is the benefit of these people being connected with CHPO? I met Vanessa in Oslo when she was there on a trip, and ‘Nuge’ in LA when we did a collab with Mike Anderson’s ‘Loud Headphones’. They’ve both been with us for over two years now, and have their own pro models. So they are a strong part of the brand. The idea is that the ambassadors we have personify the brand, which they do with their different personalities while they share our values. They are what we are in a way. So by supporting them and what they love to do, we are pushing us as a brand. Could you discuss some of the concepts related to the company and how do you get people to listen? A lot of people don’t give a fuck unless
they’ve been directly affected or simply don’t want to know. The ambassadors play a big part here. They help us reach a bigger crowd, and since they have people listing to them that helps us. Other than that we do a couple of events every year within skate, art or music. And then we just like all brands work with our social media. But that is that. So with you doing this interview it’s much appreciated! How do you see CHPO progressing and what avenues would you like to take with the brand?
To be honest I don’t know and I don’t have much of a plan. I’m super happy we have a brand that gives me a salary every month so I can skate and travel way more than before, that we are supporting our ambassadors to do what they want to do and that we are doing the world good. If we grow then that is great, but I’m so grateful for where we are. I hope to do more collaborations, both for charity and fun, and to continue to work with Skate Nation and have that grow in to something outside Stockholm. Sarah Meurle - Ollie Photo: Robin Nilssen Don Nguyen - Frontside Bluntslide Photo: Robin Nilssen
UMBRELLA BREWING X GIRL SKATEBOARDS Boss heads ‘Umbrella Brewing’ crush the ginger beer and have built their company (companies we should say) from the ground up in an amazing and often hilarious way. Be it travelling miles to get parts of a cinema or just treating their mates to some fine wetties, they’re always grinning. They teamed up with the mighty Girl Skateboards to host a Crailtap appreciation night; showcasing the new production ‘Doll’ in their space whilst homaging the iconic ‘Yeah Right’ with a celebratory piss up to mark the production’s 15th anniversary. We caught up with one of the head honchos on the beverage side, Stephen Thompson, to chat, compliment and laugh.
Interview by Guy Jones
Photography by Rory Paterson (unless stated)
Yes Stephen how’s it going? You have multiple business ventures under your belt, including Would* Skateboards, Mixology (a cocktail making and for hire company) as well as TT Liquor, an events space in Shoreditch. What made you want to make an alcoholic ginger beer and does it ever get hectic running all these ventures? Any ‘Barry the electrician’ stories are obviously greatly appreciated! I’m good actually, I feel like I have some energy again. I’ve just had a little break in Ghana at my friends wedding, so now I’m back and excited as we have quite a lot on. Yeah independent businesses in any industry can be hectic! Mixology can be very handson at times - I’ll be washing the glasses up at Holloway in December’s madness for sure! Opening TT Liquor on a shoestring, (which you yourself felt the pain of) and Umbrella Brewing launching a month apart was quite intense haha! However, we have established such a strong team across the board now, but since me myself and Ali are actively involved at every level it can be taxing on both our daily lives. Ali building a team for the fit out, with characters such as ‘Barry the electrician’ (whose stories are probably not meant for print, laughs) is always going to be interesting. I mean were you here for the sign going out the front window? Although nothing was as weird as Discount Suit Co’s plumbing I don’t think (laughs). There’s definitely a pattern between alcohol and skateboarding in your interests, so it seemed perfect that you combine forces with the mighty Girl Skateboards for their ‘Doll’ premiere. How did this come about and who did the graphic design for the beer bottles? I have actively stayed on the fringes of skateboarding since I fell in love with it a long time ago. I know how amazing but difficult the industry is to make things feasible and financially viable. So much of skateboarding is done for the love, which I feel the average skateboarder doesn’t really realise. I have tried to stay active with skating whilst making a living through other business. Now I have a little venue it’s
easier for me to help contribute and stay in touch with the industry, alongside running my independent brand, Would*. It came about when I was speaking to Matt, from Form Distribution, and helped host a seasonal showcase of Crailtap’s products. Matt, alongside Wes from Rock Solid and Mike from Keen Distribution, came and used the space to collectively promote their brands and stay in touch with the UK’s skate shops which was rad. It showed how communal the UK skate scene actually is, very similar in many ways to the bar world. Matt tried a few bottles of the ginger beer when he was visiting and we discussed doing a series of labels. Rick Howard then gave it the thumbs up and we went from there. We wanted to release the ‘Yeah Right’ Labels this year to celebrate the 15 year anniversary of the video’s release. Hopefully we can complete the series soon! You hosted ‘Doll’ in-house at your events space in Shoreditch. Could you give us a little bit of background on the space and how the prem went? Yeah it went really well! The video was sick and even though it was a smaller production this time round, Girl Skateboards still go above and beyond on all the “skits” and styling. So that was rad to see, even better to not watch it on an iPhone! It was interesting to see the focus on the AM’s - Griffin Gass was impressive to say the least. The space itself was again quite organic. We were hosting a screening at TT Liquor, and we wanted to get some cooler seating than some benches. Ali, as always, came through and found
a old disused cinema up in North Wales which was selling off the seats, so we bought the lot and got them in a van. I was building a crazy golf course for my wedding at the time (laughs) so Ali took care of the construction. They’re not light, but Ali is “4 times stronger than your average man” so we got them out of the van, assembled and in the space in no time! Since then, we’ve upgraded the whole system with a decent projector and good surround sound system. There’s still loads we want to do but its perfect for screenings like the ‘Doll’ video. What are some of your favourite ‘Girl’ moments, era’s and parts? Obviously this is a hard one to limit to just an answer but I assume you’ve always been a Crailtap fan? Yeah, I think this is a question I could write a book on! I think if you look at the whole story behind the brand, people like Spike Jonze being involved, and
how they have kept being progressive and at top of the game since they were established in the 90’s. I was always lucky enough to get premiere tickets through SS20 and my good friend Budd at Pretend Supply. We went to the ‘Yeah Right’ & ‘Fully Flared’ premiere’s at Leicester Square. I still have the ticket stub’s stapled to all the VHS’s haha. I think seeing the slow-mo intro of ‘Yeah Right’ before the intro soundtrack dropped at the cinema will stay in my mind forever! Seeing the invisible boards at Crailtap HQ for the first time in LA was amazing. That, for me, was an amazing era. So its amazing to pay homage to that era with the first set of labels. The sheer style and unbelievable raw talent of riders new and old - Stevie Williams, Gino Iannucci, Rick Howard, Mike Carroll - I mean the sheer scale and the quality of ‘Fully Flared’ was insane right? Don’t even get me started on their music selection either! So good. I’m also so stoked to see Rick McCrank still skating at such a high level.
Regarding the production of the alcoholic ginger beer, how hard was it to brew and was it a first try thing? After helping move two 2500 litre brewing containers across 4 lane traffic on Holloway road I’m certainly aware that it’s all brewed on location of your Holloway road office. Are you happy with the strength to taste ratio of the beverage? (laughs) Yeah, that was pretty crazy! We’ve stopped the flow of traffic on Holloway a few times now, right? It has been a learning curve for sure. Matt, my business partner, is self-taught, has designed every stage, and runs every part of the process by himself. From the brewing to assembling the equipment. The original idea was to have the ginger beer sold by the keg. However, as we want to use high quality natural ingredients without artificial suspenders this has been difficult. We have a natural sediment due to the weight of the ginger and other ingredients. This sediment is a key contributor to the flavour, so currently our ginger beer is only available in the bottle. We advise people that you can get the full flavour by tipping the bottle over and agitating the liquid. Matt worked hard on making a really balanced flavour - not too sweet, whilst still fiery and a nice 5% alcohol content. We’re really happy with the current recipe and the consistency of the ginger beer. I like how in-house the company is, essentially mates helping each other and having a good time whilst doing so. Could you talk about the crew you’ve got behind the drink and does Matt ever still brag about his trials for Huddersfield FC? (laughs) Was Matt bragging? He still makes me feel Stephen Thompson - Switch Heelflip Photo: Paul Tipping
terrible at football every Wednesday night, that’s for sure. We are still very much a very small company. Matt is the only full-timer at Umbrella Brewing and he works his arse off. Rhiannon has recently come on board part time to help us with sales and being an ambassador for the brand, which is amazing. Me, Andy and Ali are helping shape the business as much as we can amongst running our other companies. We have helped establish distribution which is very different to how the skateboard industry works and are currently trying to get set up for sustainable growth. We are self-funded so we can’t chuck money in like the big players in the market, so we’re gradually building it up. Although stressful, I believe this is the best way to produce something authentic. We also have people
like Rory Paterson (a fellow skateboarder) who took the photos in the article, and who helps with marketing and building up the brand. So we do have a larger family from ‘Umbrella Projects’ who all help contribute, from marketing support to unloading deliveries and even brewing. Our standing in the booze industry has meant we have collaborated already with some of the best bars in the world, and are stocked in some of London’s best independents, plus a few bars in Liverpool due to Andy! Didn’t you say your dad had a bottle in the Wirral? Fucking right he did! We’re a huge fan of the graphic design of the brand inspired by Decca records. Is this going to be consistent with ongoing production and what is so special about this music and it’s connection to Umbrella Brewing? Nice one mate! Yeah, I think changing artwork on a bottle can go against the textbook thinking of big logo and consistency for a new brand, but I think it’s fun and interesting personally. My favourite track is ‘Satisfaction’ by ‘The Rolling Stones’ - probably ingrained into me from how many times I watched Marc Johnson’s section on the Tilt Mode Army video ‘Man Down’ (laugh). There is so many good media forms which don’t exist anymore. A lot of the inspiration came from old vinyl sleeves found when jukebox’s were used, for example, the same single could be in many different record sleeves across Europe or globally, even different record labels used the same artwork for generic sleeves. The history of album artwork is so interesting! I think it was Alex Steinweiss who convinced Columbia to add more colour and more life to the covers, which were normally really plain. I liked the concept, so we did the DECA-inspired series, and we did a series for Matt inspired by his favourite track, ‘Johnny Too Bad’. We are going to work with some artists on new designs, and also have paid homage to some of our favourite things - music and skateboarding! We also did a series based on old football shirts for the World Cup too, which was fun. Are you fan of the DECA skate videos? (laughs) Yeah I was for sure, I still have them on VHS. I mean Daewon Song keeping skateboarding
progressing in such a fun DIY manner is amazing, how could you not be a fan? What a legend. Umbrella Brewing has definitely achieved a banging alcoholic ginger beer, are there any of the delectable liquids on the pipeline for yourselves and what else would you like to venture into? We have a whiskey finished ginger beer coming out next year. We have just released a keg’d cider last month which is in its first few accounts, so make sure you try that! We feel again it’s well balanced and not too sweet and we’ve had some great feedback, so this will be our big focus in the new year! Any good stories regarding your comrades at work, when I was there it was non-stop laughs!? Always trying to do a lot with a little and a young team is always going to be fun. Honestly it’s constant! So blessed to have such a good crew. When we were fitting out ‘Discount Suit Co’. Matt almost genuinely killed both me and Ali by letting go of a sledge hammer. Literally the other day me and Ali were repairing the new Umbrella Brewing truck using old bicycle inner tubes for a busted fan belt on side of the road in East London. I remember when I saw Cambarr hippy Jumping the railings on the roof on Instagram, I was both happy and scared. I guess Its always mixed emotions here, right? Where can people purchase your delectable taste arouser of a drink? On our website is a list of all the amazing venues who stock us, so many good places who are supporting us! Shops like ‘Clapton Craft’ or ‘TT Liqour’ have bottles. Bars such as ‘Three Sheets’ are great for the ginger beer and if you want to try our draught cider give me a shout and will sort you out at ‘The Sun Tavern’ in Bethnal Green. For Umbrella we have our cider! Cheers Stephen and all the crew!
Ryan Price - Nosepick Photo: James Griffiths
PHOTO GALLERY
Tom Delion - Ollie Photo: Rich West
Adam Moss - Wallie One Foot Tailgrab Photo: Leo Sharp
Brendan Watson - Wallie Backside Tailslide Photo: Reece Leung
Chris Mann - Wallride Grab Out Photo: Rafal Wojnowski
Ben Broyd - Invert Tail Bash Photo: Reece Leung
Aiden Blaymire - Backside Smith Grind Photo: Reece Leung
Ollie Lock - Drop In 50-50 Photo: Reece Leung
Manny Lopez - Frontside 50-50 Photo: Rich West
Tyrone O‘Hanrahan - Switch Frontside 180 Heelflip Photo: Reece Leung
IT’S NOT WHERE YOU’RE FROM: GLASGOW
‘DOIN’ THE TOES’ Pronunciation: Doin’ tha taes Explanation: Doing a runner/running away.
‘HOOACHING’
Example: “I were considerin’ it but Apples was already doin’ the toes man!”
Pronunciation: Hooa-ching Explanation: Far too busy for one’s liking.
Example: “Kelvingrove’s not the one today, it’s hooaching.” ‘DURRY’ Pronunciation: Du-ree Explanation: A cigarette
Example: “You‘ve been scrounging durry’s off me all night bonnie lad.”
‘BUCKY’ Pronunciation: Buck-ee Explanation: A splendid tonic wine called ‘Buckfast’ native to Scotland.
Example: “Fuck Cherry B, Bucky all the way man.” ‘MAD WAE IT’ Pronunciation: Mad wae it Explanation: Extremely intoxicated with alcohol.
Example: “He’s going in the cells tonight he’s mad wae it.”
‘BAWBAGS’ Pronunciation: Baw-bags Explanation: Most often used by Aaron Menzies and means scrotum and was also a 2011 storm.
Example: “Awrite bawbags!” ‘TAPPS AFF’ Pronunciation: Tapps aff Explanation: Tops off, generally one half of Scottish weather the other ‘tapps on’.
Example: “It’s a tapps aff day outside today boy, hooches at dawn!”
‘SWALL/SWALLY’ Pronunciation: Swall/swall-ee Explanation: Alcohol/Getting drunk with the firm.
Example: “Right I’m a fucking legend and now I’m going to swally with the boys.”
‘HAUD YER WHEESHET’ Pronunciation: Haud yer whee-shet Explanation: Shut up before you get one banged/ knock out.
‘BIG LAD’
Example: “Haud yer wheeshet, before Aaron, Alex and me give yer a straightener.”
Example: “You alright there big lad, wow big lads, where did ye all come from?”
Pronunciation: Big lad Explanation: : A term for someone of any size.
Big Sexy AKA Aaron Wilmot about to get swally with the bawbags! Photo: Leung