Back in 2001, Neil Chester already had two full videos under his belt – Through The Eyes Of Ruby (1998) for Sumo Skateshop, Sheffield, and Hating Life (1999) for A4 Distribution, then home of éS, Etnies and Emerica. Before he joined Ben Powell to start work on the first Sidewalk video In Motion, Neil released a Sheffield centric 23-minute offering entitled Steady.
As you’d have expected from Neil back then, Steady the filming, skating and soundtrack on Steady were on point from start to finish. It was a video of two halves effectively – the first few sections were something of a glimpse into Sheffield’s overly active scene at the turn of the century, whilst the second half was a tour video covering éS Footwear’s ballistic 2001 UK jaunt.
Sections from Steady have surfaced and vanished online many times over the years, but earlier this week, Matt ‘Swift Blazer’ Swift uploaded the full video to his YouTube. If you’ve never seen it, now is your chance to absorb what skateboarding looked like through the eyes of Neil Chester 20 years ago. If you have seen it, here is a great opportunity to revel in some homegrown nostalgia.
Either way, viewing is essential! All praise to Matt for sharing this piece of certified UK skateboarding history.
Featuring Mark Baines, Joel Curtis, Scott Palmer, Louis Slater, Ali Boulala, Dave Mackey and many other familiar faces, alongside the likes of Eric Koston, Rick McCrank, and Paul Rodriguez.