With this week’s release of the latest Landscape skateboards Seasons video over on the Vague Mag site, came the sad news that this UK mainstay brand would be closing its doors for good.
Originally emerging from the ashes of the short-lived Fos brand Organic Skateboards that preceded it (see below for their only video release as Organic from the masterful ‘First Broadcast), Landscape Skateboards was officially announced back in 2003 with the release of their first full-length VHS ‘Portraits’.
Filmed and edited by the much missed Chris Massey, Portraits is rightly hailed as a UK classic. Featuring the original Landscape team of Olly Todd, Joel Curtis, Daniel ‘Snowy’ Kinloch and Toby Shuall, Massey’s premier Landscape release set the tone of the brand from the outset with a firm adherence to the ‘less is more’ principle and a focus on gimmick-free, stylish street skating.
Over the years since its foundation, many things changed at Landscape skateboards – team riders left, new riders joined and two other full length videos were released (see below), along with numerous tour clips and mag articles but the central philosophy behind Landscape always remained the same.
More recently, Landscape earned itself the moniker of ‘Mancscape’ due to the heavy preponderance of Mancunian based riders, including our very own Black Sheep family member Nick Stansfield and the one-man media enterprise that is Joe Gavin, to name just a few. This local connection adds even more poignancy to the news that Landscape is to join the many other now defunct UK brands in purgatory but its legacy will live on. And what better way to say goodbye than with a banger like this one?
Featuring parts from all the current team riders and a lovely dedication to Chris Barrett at the end (along with Chris Massey and Ben Raemers) – Joe Gavin and the boys have done themselves proud here and left the building on a highnote, or to quote the venerable Slap Forum – “They’ve taken the Heath exit…”
Fans of the brand who are keen to get their hands on some Landscape wood for the wall whilst they still can should direct themselves over to our webstore and pick up a Nick Stansfield pro deck, or even better, one of Landscape’s special Chris Barrett memorial boards which we still have in stock.
Don’t sleep though because when they’re gone, they’re gone and there will be no more restocks for obvious reasons.
We’re sad to see such a strong voice of the UK skateboard scene disappear but such is the nature of the over-saturated skateboard brand market these days. Any of you with an interest in UK skate brand history are advised to have a look at this heritage article cataloguing some of the other UK brands that have left the building over the last ten years or so.
Chris ‘BAD MAN’ Barrett, the best dude to survive the murky Stockport drinking water since 1987. As it did for must of us skateboarding took control over his life from the moment he stepped on a board. If it hadn’t of been for this guy I doubt Stockport would’ve ever made it onto the skateboard map. He’s the rawest skater I’ve possibly met, and without him I doubt I would still be shredding to this day. He’s a huge influence on everyone who has ever met him, a barrel of laughs in any situation, this guy is mint! My name is Stannerz and I would like to thank him for being a raw SUB FIFTY family farther! Get to know him more as I asked him about his top 3 favourites in a variety of topics.
Food:
1: Pizza
2: Lasagne
3: An actual Steak, what is it…. Rib Eye.
Drink:
1: Black Sheep Ale
2: Tyskie or any Polish Beer
3: Ice Tea…. Peach
Destinations:
1: Stockport
2: Dubai
3: Bilbao
Skaters:
1: Joe Gavin/Dom Henry
2: Eddie Belvedere
3: You…(stannerz)
Tricks:
1: Bs 180 Nosegrind
2: Flip back noseblunt but only when you do it.
3: Fakie Front Noses
Moments of 2015:
1: Putting out my Black Sheep Fridays part
2: Nature walks with the dog
3: Spice
Sections:
1: All the riduclous parts that Thrasher bring out..
2: as above
3: as above
Jobs:
1: What you mean jobs…
2:
3:
Music:
1: Wu-Tang
2: Captain Beefheart
3: Pink Floyd
Football players:
1: Tony Hawk
2: Steve Cab
3: Andy Mcdonald
Moments to come in 2016:
1: Visit Eddie in Cornwall
2: Back to Dubai
3: Chilling
Seasons:
1: All of them
2: All of them
3: I like the change in weather, it would be shit without seasons. You’d be like a lizard if it was always hot.
As promised we have yet another mind blowing Black Sheep Fridays x Sidewalk Magazine edit for you guys to feast your eyes on. Who better than Stockport’s ‘BAD MAN’ Barrett. You may find this shredder lurking in the finest of Polish Liquor stores of greater Manchester or at the Stockport ‘spice’ Ledges. Expect nothing but raw shit, ODB kind of raw, OOOOO BABY I LIKE IT RAW! You’d be stupid to miss out, so make space in your day and be taken to the next another level of gritty skateboarding that many of us will relate to in our UK’s ghost towns. Also expect big things in the up and coming weeks with Barrett’s crew SUB-50. Some powerful stuff on the horizon so keep them eyes peeled!
Keep up with SUB-50 on Instagram and our Black Sheep Store one to be kept up to date with all the happening’s.
The latest installment from the ‘Too Rite’ video is here and you it’s going to be a good one with sections coming in hard from Chris ‘Bad Man’ Barrett, Killah Beez, Rowles and Nick ‘Stannerz’ Stansfield.
Keep them peeled as they say for part 6 coming to a square screen near you…
Filmed by Phil Harvey, Isaac Wilkinson, Rybo and Rob Smith.
Yeah that’s right we gone done did another Barcelona street edit….. Watch below as the Black Sheep team of professional skateboarding expert doggers have a doss about in Barca in between filming for the recent DC Embassy clip.
Filmed and edited by Rob Smith. Pics from Eddie Belvedere.
