The UK's only pure rollerblading magazine (Unity)

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Product:	Unity
Date:	29/05/01 (918 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: homegrown magazine, some good writing, some good photography

Disadvantages: variable quality, looks cheap, no real content & boring at times!

Since DNA magazine bit the dust two years ago, rollerbladers in the UK have been left with Unity. Unity is clearly aimed at the aggressive skating market, which makes we wonder how information is shared between recreational skaters, who don't seem to have a magazine?

Unity looks cheap, and is obviously printed to a tight budget. The writing and editorial isn't bad, although the letters page reflects the limited perception of the magazines' target 12-16 year age group. Letters range from "We don't have anywhere to skate please build us a ramp" (as if..) to "I hate people with blue hair that skate" (some tolerance please...). Many of the letters display a high level of anger amongst the readership!

Photography is a mixed bag, ranging from the (always)excellent import photos from ex-pat Jess Dryenforth to the "attempts" of amateur UK photographers like Si Cox and Kenny McKleish.

The writing follows the same pattern too, some issues you receive thought provoking articles about different topics in skating, whilst the next issue will have a couple of interviews with some spotty 17 year old wannabe-gangstas. Music reviews tend to focus too heavily on hip-hop, although a couple of punk albums were reviewed in the last issue.

Overall, it looks cheap and can be read through in 20 minutes which doesn't make for good value. Any skater getting on a long train journey would be advised to take a decent book instead! The lack of content may be a reflection of the lack of advertising = lack of production budget. Editor Steve Glidewell (what a cool name for a rollerblading mag editor!) and his motley crew of freelance writers and photographers make a good attempt but don't come anywhere close to the quality and style of skateboarding's "Sidewalk Surfer" or bmx's "Ride" magazines. You might be better off with American Import "Daily Bread" but in the UK there
isn't anybody apart from Unity so you have to give them that at least!

Summary: