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. Goodbye Landscape - you will be missed. Now, why not treat your eyes to some archive Lanners video below, before you go drop some nuggets and pick yourselves up a piece of UK skate history? Organic skateboards (the precursor to Lanscape) section from the 2001 classic First Broadcast. Toby Shaull's section from Chris Massey's 2003 'Portraits' video. 2008's full-length Landscape 'Horizons' video by Alan Glass - follow playlist for the full video.
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Landscape skateboards Seasons video - goodbye Landscape
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. Goodbye Landscape - you will be missed. Now, why not treat your eyes to some archive Lanners video below, before you go drop some nuggets and pick yourselves up a piece of UK skate history? Organic skateboards (the precursor to Lanscape) section from the 2001 classic First Broadcast. Toby Shaull's section from Chris Massey's 2003 'Portraits' video. 2008's full-length Landscape 'Horizons' video by Alan Glass - follow playlist for the full video.
