Role: Creative Director / Art Direction / Design / Copywriting
With thanks to Hot Soup House, True Concept, the V9 team, Si Mitchell for interior art and character illustration, Upfest for street art curation and street artists including Gums & Tongue, Inkie, Squirl, Vik Void, Kid Crayon & Unwellcome Relatives.

The brief was to develop a new venue at NASS Festival, offering an alternative to the main music venues and to give a nod to the rock and punk genres from previous years. We created the Truck & Bearing, a tribute to the wider world of 1990s action sports, and a haven for those who fancy a beer with like-minded folk in a curated venue that transports them to another time. Think Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, a pop-punk soundtrack and some 90s infused graffiti & street art.

I worked on the backstory, look & feel and development of the venue space. This led to a collaboration with UK Illustration champion and renowned punk artist Si Mitchell, who brought the characters to life.

Local Bristol supplier Hot Soup House, constructed a full venue facade around the existing barn building, and built the interior bar, seating booths and skatable elements. The pub facade was layered with street art from leading artists such as Squirl, Gums & Tongue and Kid Crayon to give the effect of years of graffiti overlaid over a boarded up building. The garden was built around a central mini ramp feature and included custom-built and painted tables, a large swinging pub sign and relevant traders. The soundtrack consisted of a lovingly constructed playlist of the best punk, rock and hip hop that fully represented the era.

“Come and prop up the bar at our very own on-site pub, built as a tribute to its four mysterious founders. By day it offers an alternative venue to our epic music stages in which to hang out and grab a pint. Relax in the beer garden, enjoy the mini-ramp mayhem and soak up the skate and BMX nostalgia. By night you can expect a lock-in with a raucous after-hours vibe, with a lively line-up of alternative acts. Come down and make the Truck & Bearing your local.”

THE BACKSTORY AND FOUNDERS
The story goes that The Truck and Bearing was originally a pub called 'The Cow & Egg' run by the famously short-fused Jimmy Cudd. Due to the scarcity of drinking establishments in the area, local youths began to try their luck getting served at the pub. Mr Cudd became frustrated at the underage drinking and was horrified that the kids were skateboarding and riding BMXs in the garden, as well as graffiti-ing the pub walls. Little did he know that the teenagers that were using the pub to develop skills that set this group apart in the underground scenes. The ongoing feud between Cudd and the kids led to an incident where the heavyset pub owner attacked one of the teenagers with a beer keg on the end of a chain. The resulting court costs led to the pub falling into disrepair, and Cudd was subsequently arrested in 1993 for a separate incident involving a ram from a local farm. The youths immediately moved into the building and used it as a community for artists, fledgling punk bands and skaters/BMXers. Having a dedicated space allowed them to flourish. There were four members that stood out: drummer Beanie Yasuda formed short-lived but seminal punk band Twisted Forks. Cedric  'Ceddy' Mac became arguably the best skateboarder in the south west. Locals were amazed by Pudge Williams's prowess with a BMX, especially considering his stature. Mitch-1 created a style that was admired throughout the UK street art scene. They renamed the pub The Truck & Bearing and slowly built it back up in their own way, incorporating a new bar, skatable furniture, a mini ramp, street art murals and a TV to play endless Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2.

THE NIGHT IT WENT ‘OFF THE RAILS’…
Spontaneous punk gigs and parties at the venue throughout ‘94-’95 became legendary around the South West. But it was one night, known as the ‘Off the Rails’ night, that will go down in history. Twisted Forks were playing to an unusually large crowd, with up to 3000 punks, skaters, BMXers and artists gathering from across the UK. There are conflicting views as to what happened that night, but reports state that police helicopters were called, 26 people were arrested and at least one party goer (rumoured to be Pudge) had to have handlebars surgically removed from his skull. In the aftermath, two drunk horses were found behind the bar and a ram was found on the mini ramp, gaffa-taped to a skateboard. Cedric and Pudge were reported to be attempting outrageous tricks over the crowd, and rumour suggests that one failed trick caused a precarious amp stack to fall, severing Beanie Yasuda’s hands.  Intoxicated by the sense of devilment in the air and emboldened by the need for an epic drum solo, she inserted drumsticks into the stumps before finishing her set. In the chaos, Mitch-1 was blinded by an exploding spray can, but continued painting with what seemed to be a sixth sense for what he was creating. It was the attention from this night that led to the pub being shut down by police, and the building was eventually condemned. The fall-out was dramatic. Cedric was sectioned. Pudge went missing. Beanie was rumoured to have headed to Peru. Mitch-1 was prolific until his mysterious disappearance around the time Banksy became well-known.

A NEW BEGINNING…
20 years later, after being inspired by the Tony Hawk demo vert at NASS in 2015, a younger member of the original crew called Manny Bosko decided to re-build the legendary pub at NASS as a tribute to the core four. Backed by money he had made documenting the 90s-alternative scene and with help from local kids, he reopened the Truck & Bearing. It now stands as a celebration of action sports, alternative music, street art and delicious ale.