Armed Forces Day

JW Fosters & Sons Classics

 Founded in Bolton in the late 1800s by the chap mentioned above, his boys renamed the running shoe company in 1958 using an Afrikaans term for a small Gazelle - rhebok. And thus the brand we know and love (or hate) was born.

The Reebok Classic, with its simple design and clean lines, was launched in 1987 to great success, but has become as ubiquitous as it has notorious. Its a trainer that crosses all divides but was seen on a great deal more questionable characters than most. It was the real first pub trainer and was used to good effect in a great number of cult films (again love them or hate them), including Goodbye Charlie Bright, the Football Factory and Nil by Mouth.

They come and go out of fashion with our culture fairly regularly, but are making a mark with me again. Perhaps it's because its the summer and therefore impossible to wear Clark's deserts. Or that adidas lost my vote with an increasingly number of poorly made, poorly conceived and poorly coloured reissues lapped up by the casuals by numbers on Instagram. Or perhaps because I'm in my thirties and I'm pining after my youth given these used to be the trainer of choice in my mid teens. Whatever it is I'm looking at Reebok Ex O Fit low, standard white classics and the Workout Plus with new reverence - one that was reserved, with some irony given the name rhebok, once only for the likes of Gazelles.

Just been reissued / relaunched for A/W at several places including Content

Hallyink

Here's something both good and northern. Hallyink, a Hartlepool based sketchist, who's focussing on local clubs cult heroes and then recreating them with a classic smudging of HB granite. Refreshing to see an artist dedicating his talents to the likes of Pools and Boro, rather then Man Utd and Liverpool, for a change. Could easily do United's treble winners - let's be honest, they'd sell quicker - but no, Hartlepool United are his team and drawing is his gift, so that's what he's going to do. Good man. Check out his wares here

Mundial

Mundial magazine. A one off mag that celebrates everything good about the world cup - the clobber, the stickers, the underdogs, the memories and even the dopey mascots.

Has to be said I thought this magazine, despite being produced by the likes of STAND, Proper and CC, would be (like most of the tournaments England have taken part in) a bit disappointing. The hype surrounding the mag, like any World Cup the Three Lions enter, was unbelievable and I didn't think Mundial could live up it, even with the list of credible contributors.

But I'm literally blown away by it, it's as satisfying as a Scotland defeat to Costa Rica. Only 2014 copies world wide which are each named after a player from World Cup history. I've landed 1315 Toni Turek. A German keeper from days of old. Disappointed it wasn't Gazza. But he did make an appearance in the excellent CC/Peter O'Toole collectors cards, twice. And unlike Gazza there'll only be tears of joy with this mag.

RIP RIK

Rik Mayall 1958-2014

Dung 4

It's strange how the soundtrack to my summer of 2014 was penned and recorded in the winter of 1987. And in Oldham of all places, which never experiences summer anyway.

The band is the Inspiral Carpets, whom during the early 90s were third in line for Madchester's crown after the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays. As baggy took hold they swaggered up to the top of the music food chain - the debut album Life was popular as breathing, sell out festivals and tours followed, and they pretty much grabbed the term 'Cool as Fuck' for themselves (using on a range of tee shirts with a smoking cow).

Dung 4 is the lost album Carpet fans have been waiting for, briefly available in 1989 only as a cassette via mail order (only 8000 sold), so it's fair to say the circle was kept firmly around it. Original lead singer Stephen Holt (replaced by Tom Hingley for 18 years, now back at front when reformed in 2012) is on vocals and the album combines tracks from demo tape Cow and ones that later appeared on EPs Plane Crash and Trainsurfing.

Joe for example is one track I love. Here it isn't as stand out as the remixed/rewrote single that got released a few years later, but I love the slow plodding nature of Holts lyrics and slightly ska/Specials influence perhaps in the intro. The song is here in it's original format and structure, as with many others - undisturbed and unbastardised - and for Carpet fans you couldn't spend a better tenner on listening to the band you might have had...