Playing Fields
Chances are, most of you reading this were barely a twinkle in your daddy's eye when seminal UK full length 'Playing Fields' was first released and are therefore unaware of the seismic impact this video had on how UK skateboarding was viewed both here and in America.
Available back in 1997, a time of New Labour, the passing of Diana and Oasis at their peak, you'd be forgiven for an initial lack of interest in what realistically amounts to little more than a twenty two year old independent vid but, should you neglect to pay attention to this gem, you stand to miss out on so much of what still shapes the way we Brits skate and produce content today.
Filmed and edited by the interminably influential Ben Powell (of Sidewalk Magazine fame) and featuring Alex Moul, Danny Wainwright and Colin Kennedy (amongst others), this is just as vital viewing in 2019 as it was over two decades ago. The skating, music, filming and editing are all on point and make no mistake; this is just as valuable a collection of skateboarding tricks as it is a capsule into a time gone by. Not least because half the spots in the vid are exactly the same today and, in many cases, nobody is stepping up to the level the best of British were back then!
Available to watch online in its entirety for the first time ever, this really oughtta be compulsory viewing for everybody on these shores who has even considered taking up skateboarding. If you haven't seen it yet you've really gotta take the time to do so now - this is our history and this has made us what we are today!