Christopher Eccleston's Battlecry

John Cooper Clarke's profanity strewn finest. Personally I don't remember this episode of Doctor Who...

One True Demise

Founded in 2000 by the Good North (not me) boys in Nottinghamshire, OTS set out with the mantra of making quality clobber for chaps like us, and us in turn reassuringly knowing that the gear was designed and styled by chaps like us - obsessed with quality, integrity, honesty and throwing in a good dose of British humour to the mix. Now though One True Saxon is slowly coming to an end some twelve years on. Owners Pentland Brands have pulled the plug citing a 'difficult market' and in two days time, on the 24th of August 2012, OTS online store will cease trading.

The brand have come a long way in just over a decade from cool cult terrace label, before selling out to the man and rapidly imploding. It's staggering to think it's only been ten years. They were the cream of the crop around 2003 with some quality bits of jacketing - The Rifle club Camo, Supply Parka, Jungle Marsh etc. Some real pieces of eye catching beauty. Then OTS stalwart Ian Paley left for Garbstore and things went down hill. The masses of the classes got into it as it started appearing in Littlewoods catalogues and creeping onto TK Maxx's rails around 2007. The quality and fit went sideways too (XXXL polo shirts to fit an XL anyone?) Although time was spent in 2010/11 trying to get the brand back to where it used to be, it was an effort made in vain. And now the company is now facing closure and if the label is to continue then it's suspected it'll be exclusively in the likes of JD Sports (part of Pentland too), devaluing the Good North name even further and condeming it to a lifetime of dressing the underclass.

But I'll remember the good times. The first piece I ever owned was one of the Supply Parkas in black. A stunning coat. Screamed out class. Plenty pockets and a lovely big hood. It went the way on eBay after I, ahem, out grew it. But I've trawled eBay ever since and will pay through the nose to get one again - don't care if it's in ten years time and by then the OTS name is the worst of the worst and being sold in Primark. It really was that good a jacket.

I've also had a couple of Cats & Dogs in my time. Choc full of pullstrings and drawstrings, pockets in weird places and in surprisingly bright colours, they saw me right on the odd awayday. Red and Lime saw eventful days out at Middlesbrough and Derby County (back in the day when I went away with Sunderland semi regularly). These too have gone the way of fleabay as I prefer the darker colours now, but they were very important to me at the time.

Red Cats/Dogs enroute to Boro

Most recently have snapped up a couple of OTS bits for peanuts - which highlights just how the brand has gone. A pair of Edwa trotters for the princely sum of 99p and a Jungle Marsh Parka for less than a score. Madness. Both old school (if you can call something post 2000 old school) OTS when they were at their prime. And one thing I can't do without is their dogwalker jeans. OTS did denim better than anyone and I practically still live in any one of the three identical pairs of dogwalkers I own. Nowt fits or looks better on me, from M&S to Edwin.

OTS Camo Edwa shoes

 So I personally will be sad to see OTS go. It seems to have so much history given the influence it had some ten years ago, providing top notch gear with the ideal template - set up by regular blokes obsessed with good quality decent clothing. It was perfect. In theory. It just hasn't worked out as they'd have planned. But people can sit around and criticize about what it was, what it became and where it's going. But at least the OTS lads had a go.

Lime Cats/Dogs & thumbs up for OTS

Music v Designer Collaborations

The most iconic music artists are often the most influential when it comes to clobber. Music and fashion go hand in hand similar to that of football and fashion. You only have to attend a gig and the crowd will be largely dressed similarly to the band. Mods and Rockers wore their hearts on their sleeves when it came to music allegiance and dressed accordingly. The Clash and Sex Pistols brought punk styling, anti establishment and anti label. Late 1970s and London and Coventry meet the West Indies musically, Madness and Specials music goers clad in Ben Sherman, Crombie and DMs, complete with cropped hair. 1990s Britpop and it's Blur in Fila, Oasis in Stone Island and Gazelles etc. The fans always follow suit. Just look at gigs these days - go to Beady Eye/High Flying Birds (aka Oasis) and it's the parrot heads clad in Liam's latest Pretty Green offerings (now in TK Maxx...). Go to Madness and it's still Fred Perry and Brutus. Anything Madchester then it's bucket hats, Adidas and loose fitting tees.

And designers ain't no mugs. They'll cotton on to the fact they're part of the cult, or at least try to stick their finger in the pie and force their way in, and cash in. And over the last few years there's been quite a few official designer v band collaborations. Maybe it speaks volumes that most of them are old imperial brands mixed with bands that are not quite the 'now' in music - maybe both music and fashion are dead.

The first I ever saw of these was back in 1999. Doctor Martens brought out a special limited 'Madness' boot to coincide with the Nutty Boys 20 year anniversary. And since then Madness haven't done too badly with the whole collab thing. 2-Tone staple clobber Ben Sherman did an official cross over with Madness including checked shirts, Harrington's and tees. Some of the gear was quite frankly horrible but the jacket and Polos stood out - unsurprisingly only available in black or white...

I've also seen on fleabay a Madness shirt by Aertex. A North west label, famed for dressing WW2 Desert Rats and the 1970 England World Cup squad, meets the North London Invaders. Bit of a strange one and don't know the link but I do know it knocks the spots off the Shermanator efforts. The Madness M taking pride of place on the chest of a cool blue gingham check.

Fred Perry were in on the act before Ben Sherman linked up with Madness. It may be disputed what brand was more associated with ska - Perry or Sherman - but theirs no doubt which band were truly ska and that's the Specials. The Laurel Wreath was given a slight 2-tone makeover and again the clobber was all black/white, shirts and polos the staple diet available. Since then Perry has also linked up with Amy Winehouse to make her collection. It was short lived.

Up the road in Manchester there's been a few. The centre of the music universe for a spell during the 80s and 90s, designers got it too. Not strictly a collaboration but Admiral linked up with the Mondays in 1999 to provide the band with swag on their reunion tour, and for Shaun et al to front the sportswear's latest advertising campaign. The campaign was ill fated as the brand went bust and as no one really rated the gear Shaun was unable to flog it off his own back to score smack.

Oasis were arguably the biggest band since the Beatles and have had the odd collaboration. Iconic brand Barcuta teamed up with them to create a cool limited edition Harrington. They also liked a bit of Manchester brand Kangol and several times the Kangeroo was sported on tour gear for band and back stage crew alike - often have a peek on eBay for these meself. The khaki parkas I've seen are pretty damn cool. And like it or loathe it (and again not strictly a collab) but Liam Gallaghers Pretty Green label is here to stay. Here you've got the rare example of musician creating a designer label and then approaching another musician for a collaboration with the Paul Weller label. Music v Fashion v Music.

 Finally the North West has always had a thing for its trainers. Plenty of Adidas Originals to be seen from the 1970s onwards. Bands like the Mondays and the Farm often sported the latest kicks, but two of the biggest faces from the areas music got the envious pleasure of having their own personal link with Adolph Dasslers training shoes. Noel Gallagher, the biggest celebrity trainer head if ever there was one, with his rather suave looking Man City coloured kicks, and across the city's footballing/music divide Stone Rose Ian Brown with his personalised Superstars in Man Utd red/black.

So there's the pick of the music v designer collaborations. There may be more but these are all bands and brands I like. Would I buy any of them? Probably not. Some would argue there's no individuality with this gear and it's simply a cash in and/or sell out. The flip side of the coin it means people can staple their colours to the mast and identify with both band and brand. And what do I think? Don't care. It's only a blog.

Nicks Brain

By Andy Watt

Pre-season Aways

Forget the bright lights of Victoria Park and the sexy football vs. the likes of Sunderland, Boro and Newcastle, it's the rough and tumble of non league away matches that get me moist during the summer.

The first of my two outings this pre-season was at the ramshackle Belle Vue ground at Consett. Known as Hillbilly-Land this former steel town set up high in County Durham is the coldest place known to man in winter. And it isn't much warmer in July. Still for my sins I've visited this ground a handful of times with both Pools and Durham City.

This time it was, as is the norm the youth team, but unusually a few have had first team experience plus a couple of pros. Colin Larkin is one such pro with a vast array of lower league experience, a striker who doesn't score many but creates bother in the box. Despite this his name on the team sheet was a surprise giving that he was released by Hartlepool United in May. Apparantly allowed to stay to retain his fitness. Another player who has to prove his fitness is Nathan 'Mr Blobby' Luscombe, ex Sunderland who eats pies the way lesser professionals just play the game they love. He has moobs. Unbelievable.

The game was fairly poor, Consett stubborn and the pitch lumpy and ugly, although the father-in-laws potential hooligan exploit anecdotes were a delight. The only match highlight was reserve team coach and Poolie legend Michael Barron don his playing boots for the first time since he quit in 2008. He came on with 15 minutes left and I was thinking it couldn't get any better than that. Oh yes it could. With 81 minutes on the clock he dashed through chasing a direct ball, let it bounce, drew the keeper and chipped deftly into the top corner from 15 yards. Not a bad finish at all, completely defying his centre-back by trade tag. He'd only scored 3 goals in 321 appearances for United. I just saw him increase his goal tally by 25% some four years after he'd supposedly hung up his boots. Unbelievable Jeff. FT 1-0.

The next game was at the much more plush surroundings of Bishop Auckland's Heritage Park. Bishops have a proud history in non-league's amateur era of the 1950s however have struggled in recent times, and had been in exile for nearly 15 years after leaving their Kingsway Ground. The purpose built HP makes all those years ground sharing at shit holes like Shildon and West Auckland worthwhile. It has a smart little main stand and impressive covered terracing behind a goal similar to Pools Town End.

After tweeting Michael Barron asking if he was going to be wearing the number nine shirt (answer - no), I set off with a Northern League Connoisseur mate to Bishops and were both suitably delighted with our surroundings. Pools lineup was also fairly strong with many first teamers involved, notably Paul Murray and James Poole, although Colin Nish was injured in the warm up. It was a lively game played at a decent tempo, end to end, and although Bishops took the lead Pools class showed and won convincingly 3-1.
Managed to get ourselves snapped twice on HUFC.com with their photos of the match, my good self in grey K-way jacket. We looked a sorry sight behind the goal as the sole contingent of Pools travelling army...

 

...and despite looking fed up here for the third and final goal, I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing a new NL ground and will look forward to visiting Bishop Auckland should our paths cross again.