Revealing the wave inside time

This clip is taken from the current BBC South Pacific series. The first time I saw this footage at home on my HDTV I got goosebumps... just the most beautiful images of waves that I have ever seen. This online clip gives you an idea but watch it in high definition to really go 'wow'!

Just Add Water

Loved this surf documentary with Clay Marzo. Awesome soundtrack, inspirational surfing and beautifully shot. It took me a while to get round to watching it but so glad I did. If you get a chance you should check it out.

The Happening in the UK

The Happening at Village Underground

This week I was lucky enough to check at The Happening in both London and Cornwall. On Tuesday night the show rolled into Village Underground, Shoreditch. The venue was great and it was a nice sunny evening which is always a bonus. The brick, arched interior provided an atmospheric backdrop and the rooftop terrace, scattered with reconditioned tube carriages, was set up by the Roxy crew with promotional posters and clothing.

Photography by Joe Curren

With art from established names such as Andy Davis, Thomas Campbell, Harry Daily and David Lloyd, photography from Joe Curren and Ryan Heywood, films from Woodshed productions and music from Mason Jennings, Neil Halstead, Zach Gill and G Love it really was a rare treat.

Zach Gill

However, it was a disappointment that there weren't more artists on hand to talk about their artwork and inject some real life into the fantastic array of pictures and films that the event its supposed to represent. In their absence, which was partly due to the artists having to fund their own travel, there was no information available on the art which left the focus firmly on the music and film. It was also a shame that so many people who should have known about the show well in advance saw it completely pass them by. Tickets were available on the door and there was plenty of room inside. This wasn't through a lack of interest, but largely because the marketing for this event was pretty low key and communications virtually non-existant.

The tube carriages

Fast forward three days to a windswept, sodden Gwithian and The Happening had arrived in Cornwall. The weather outside had no impact on the jubilant mood inside and the Sandsifter was packed the rafters with a tent out the front to host the musicians who included Mason Jennings, Neil Halstead, Matt Costa and G Love.

Matt Costa

The vibe was really friendly and although the art was a bit crammed in it felt very at home in its location. It was a bonus to meet Mike Fordham, man behind September and the Book of Surfing, and chat with Helen Gilchrest about her plans for Stranger magazine. There weren't any pieces from Wolfgang Bloch or Andrew Kidman but it was good to see local artists such as Ben Cooke represented.

Harry Daily

I had pretty high expectations for the Happening and although I certainly wasn't disappointed I would have liked to have seen more focus on the artwork. Cornwall hosts gigs all the time but the opportunity to see art from some of the most recognised surf artists of our time is much rarer. The concept is genius and lets hope they come back even bigger and better next year.

Roxy Jam Biarritz

Finally, Roxy has uploaded the information on the 2008 Roxy Jam in Biarritz. With the perfect combination of art, music and some of the most stylish longboard surfers in the world, the festival is going to be awesome.

The Roxy Jam will take place between 11 and 16 July in and around Biarritz in South West France.

Check out all the info at http://www.roxyjam.com/

Loose-Fit Film Night

I watched the trailer for One California Day and the film looks awesome. This is an artistic surf documentary about surf culture and the traditions of the sport, filmed across six different coastal regions in California and focusing in on the lives of seven different surfers. The movie has been available on DVD stateside since November 2007 but Loose-Fit, in North Devon, is one of the few places in the UK that stocks it.

Following the success of their first film night last month in Bristol, Loose-Fit has decided to do a re-run of the event, this time showing One California Day on Sunday 4 May at 8pm. Here's a trailer that gives some insight into the making of the documentary.



While i'm on the subject, Loose-Fit has a great website and recently I signed up to their 'daily drop' delivering a slice of North Devon beach life straight to my inbox two or three times a week. Nice.The website is great with lots of non-commercial content, the shops look cool, damn they even have a gallery space which has hosted exhibitions by Alex Knost and Devon Howard - have a gander yourself www.loose-fit.co.uk

Happening in Cornwall

I was a little overexcited to discover that this year The Happening is coming to Cornwall. The event will feature a select group of artists and photographers exhibiting work based in contemporary beach and street cultures followed by acoustic music performances by Matt Costa, Will Conner, Andrew Kidman & more.

As well as an unmissable opportunity to view original works of art by such some of the biggest names in the creative surf world such as Wolfgang Bloch, Jenny Bowers, Thomas Campbell, Jeff Canham, Joe Curren, Andy Davis, Harry Daily, Andrew Kidman, Alex Knost and Alex Kopps, to name but a few, the musical line up is great too.

I first saw Matt Costa perform live at a Jack Johnson concert in 2006 and was lucky enough to catch him again at his intimate Shepherds Bush Hall gig. The new album builds on his captivating debut and makes a perfect soundtrack to the exhibition.

Helping to raise money for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as well as a number of other non-profit organisations, The Happening is a collaboration between Brushfire Records, The Surf Gallery and Woodshed Films, the creators of The Moonshine Festival. The first event took place at Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach, Calif. in January 2007, followed by a second show at Milk Gallery in New York City.

This is the first time The Happening has travelled outside of the USA and the stop in Cornwall on 4 July is the third location on a world tour that has already taken in Bondi Beach and will also visit Tokyo, Paris, New York and San Francisco. Timed to take place during the same week as Jack Johnson's Watergate Bay gigs on the 5 an 6 July I wouldn't be surprised if Jack makes an appearance on stage as he did earlier this month in Australia.

Having seen the video that was uploaded to the event website late last week www.thehappeninglive.com and also on YouTube I can't wait to be a part of it when it visits Newquay this summer.