FIFTY FIFTY Presented By VANS

A SKATE ART EVENT TO REMEMBER! It was an unexpected turn out at Fifty Fifty event on Saturday 29th August 2015. Crowd started to come in as early as 3pm, while some of the local bands were still doing their sound check. Crowd of all ages can be seen as some even brought their kids along, as young as 1 year old baby.

Besides having the locals, some were from other states like Perak, KL and Singapore. One attendee were asked how did she know of the event, said that she and her friends was a big fan of Bittersweet band and came all the way from Perak to watch the band perform. She continued saying that it was through facebook that she knows of the event.

The event officially started at 4pm with the Preliminary round of Miniramp Skate Competition. Around 50 participants joined the competition with no age limits open to all. The skaters were given a 45-seconds run on the miniramp, to show off as many tricks they can. End of the prelims, only 10 skaters were chosen to compete in the final.

At the event, besides the showcase of the artworks from the local and international skate artists in Hin Bus Depot gallery, the venue also was occupied by booths from various participants –iM4U was there to support the event and also did their on-ground volunteer recruitments, while Pestel & Mortar and Tapau Wear (under Tapau.TV) also had their booths selling their apparels together with other brands like Aku Design and Hellbent.

As the clock strike 6pm, the music stage starts with the first band performance by Weot Skam – a local Penang indie rock band. Crowd started to fill the front stage as the music got louder. As the opening band, Weot Skam really pumped up the crowd. After performing a few tracks, Pop Konspirasy came in and performed their jazzy-indie rock music. But it was Maddthelin which came up next that made the crowd jump up and down even more, making a small mosh-pit. There was a short break after the first three bands performed, to give way for the Miniramp Skateboarding Competition.

The Miniramp Skate Competition winners. From left: Alif Hadi, Azreen Azman, Fairuzal Rahman

During the final, it was a close competition between the 10 skaters. Again they were given a two-rounds of 45-seconds run. But only 3 emerged as top skater. The winner of the Miniramp Skatboarding Competition went to Azreen Azman, who brought back RM1,000 cash money and he was obviously the crowd favorite. 1st runner-up went to Fairuzal Rahman and 2nd runner-up Alif Hadi, who took back RM800 and RM600 cash money respectively. The prize giving ceremony was held straight away having the miniramp as stage.

Alicia AuYong, the Business Manager for VANS Malaysia represented the brand to give away the prizes to the winners. ‘It’s really great to see everyone enjoying themselves so much here. It’s the first time ever in Malaysia where we have an event that has art, music, street culture and skate, all in one place. And this makes Fifty Fifty at Hin Bus Depot a perfect match with Vans. We are glad to be the presenter for the first ever Fifty Fifty skatefest.’ Said Alicia.

Continue to rock the night was the band Oh Chentaku, who had performed at major shows worldwide included Dublin, London, Singapore and Amsterdam. Crowd went crazy as Myo, the fronliner belted out their famous tracks from the band. They did not disappoint their fans for sure. To end the night, Bittersweet entered the stage with a loud cheer from their fans. The crowd has been waiting for them and stayed throughout the whole day event. It was definitely a super-rocking sweet closing for the event when Bittersweet belted out their famous Kucing Htam track. Crowd was seen to be singing along to it while jumping in the mosh. The scene at the venue was like a small music festival.

Fifty Fifty event presented by VANS, definitely reached its purposed in bringing the skate art event to public showing them that skating is not just a sport but also it define creativity. Hence the showcase of the art works from the local and international skate artists like Fritildea, Donald Abraham, Orkibal, Fauzan Fuad, TRK, Ryan Ady Putra, Okta Samid, Jamil Abdullah, Nur Qashinda, Dhika & Brojjol. With the support from the community and public, we hope to continue to have this event annually. Hoping to make it a big event in the future.

Fifty Fifty is a month-long event which began on 8th August until 31st August 2015, at Hin Bus Art Depot in Penang. For more information on the event, please visit www.fiftyfiftyskatefest.com.

About VANS

Vans®, a VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) brand, is the original action sports footwear, apparel and accessories brand. Vans authentic collections are sold globally in more than 75 countries through a network of subsidiaries, distributors and international offices. Vans also owns and operates more than 450 retail locations around the world. The Vans brand promotes the action sports lifestyle, youth culture and creative self-expression through the support of athletes, musicians and artists and through progressive events and platforms such as the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing®, the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing, Vans Pool Party, Vans Custom Culture, Vans Warped Tour®, and Vans’ cultural hub and international music venue, the House of Vans.

Vans, “Off the Wall” Since ’66
www.vans.com
instagram.com/vansmyofficial
facebook.com/VANS.malaysia

About Hin Bus Depot
Hin Bus Depot is a contemporary creative space that exudes Penang’s old-worldly charm. We engage artists with contemporary ideas to use the space to express their creativity. Hin Bus Depot in-calculates cutting edge creative lifestyle that pushes the boundaries of expressions in art and lifestyle. Supported by the community, Hin Bus Depot focuses on curating creative art programs and exhibitions, or events aiming to inspire social and cultural exchange. The space is like a canvas for young emerging artists from local and around the world with different cultures and backgrounds to share and learn together. The creative space is also open to organizations or individuals looking for an unconventional event venue with unique charm.

About Tapau.TV

Enter TAPAUtv, an independent online TV station that captures and represent Malaysia’s youth and independent scene. The idea of TAPAUtv was born out of the realization that the traditional mainstream media has failed to capture the essence and taste of the current youth generation; while the advancement of technology through the rise of new media has also triggered a change in how the audience consumes content. TAPAUtv provides the solution by being the preferred media platform that champions the independent youth movement.

“BUKAN KIRI, BUKAN KANAN, DEPAN.”

With the support from Qeerad, TAPAUtv currently produces new content everyday from Monday to Friday (at least 5 new content each week), and is in beta testing stage of their new and improved website, www.TAPAU.tv. “The TAPAU Show” (up every Monday), keeps the audience updated with 5 things that are going on in the scene every week, while ‘PULUN’ is an upcoming series focusing on young entrepreneurs and their story of hustle and struggle to make it to the top. With their brand of ’empowering entertainment’, TAPAUtv aims to encourage youth to discover passion as a driving force against negative distractions or as Faris, Founder of TAPAUfest and TAPAUtv would say, “Bukan Kiri, Bukan Kanan, DEPAN.”