Vincent Huhta and Martin Sandberg – Surviving ‘The Sour Solution 3’
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‘I feel like shedding a tear of joy… But honestly, I think I’m just too dehydrated.’
That’s Tom Snape reacting to the sight of childhood friends, Vincent Huhta and Martin Sandberg, being ‘presented’ with their first pro boards after the Stockholm premiere of The Sour Solution 3. You’re reading it because it cracks me up, but also because it puts into context the chat I had with those two a few days later around all the blood, sweat and hangovers that went into making this video, from the day after The Sour Solution 2 prem when the first clip was filmed, all the way up to the moment when it got released out into the world.
Every time the hourglass brand puts out a new full-length, what we think we knew was possible on a skateboard gets flipped on its head, and we’re left as confused as we are entertained. This one is no different. Every time we seek answers, then realise that we don’t even have the questions. We’ve now come to terms with the fact that this crew’s genius can’t really be explained… But could somebody at least please elucidate why the fuck those two were covered in blood?!
Okay so what actually happened the other night in Stockholm then?
Vincent: It was all part of a special ceremony.
Of course, the Sour Solution cult initiation.
Vincent: Haha no so we showed the video in kind of a pit, and when it ended Sami (Seppala) popped up on a balcony above it with the boards. So everyone was like ‘yeaaaah’ and all my homies lifted me up… But because I was just like paying attention to all of my friends, when all of a sudden a board came flying my way it hit me in the head haha.
Wow. There was so much blood and it was so red that I was convinced you guys had prepared some kinda joke thing that had been completely staged. Like you guys thought throwing some fake blood in there, maybe a fake fight or something could make it extra dramatic haha. I had no clue.
Vincent: Haha it would have been amazing to plan all that out.
Martin Sandberg, frontside rock n roll. Photo: Gerard Riera.
I mean I wouldn’t put it past you guys, last time I went to a Sour premiere Simon Isaksson appeared out of nowhere dressed as Jesus Christ and started throwing joints into the crowd.
Martin: You do have some really red blood Vincent…
Vincent: I hope it’s a healthy thing. It was so funny though, after a while everyone else was just covered in my blood too from just hugging me haha.
Martin: Yeah I mean it’s only after hugging you that I realised your whole head was completely soaked!
Haha that sounds so insane. Were you not sketched out like, ‘uh I’m covered in blood, maybe I should go get this checked out’ or something? Or was it just your eyebrow ? ‘Cause blood is not really meant to pour from your head like that…
Vincent: No it was above my eyebrow, like more like the top the dome I guess. I was actually quite lucky because Josef’s sister who is an AR emergency person was there and she was just like, ‘did you pass out when it happened? Did you puke?’
Martin: ‘No? Okay. Please, carry on!’ Haha
Vincent: Yeah basically! Haha.
Martin: Were you let into the other bars after that?
Vincent: Yeah, I think they took pity on me.
Martin: I just remember seeing you with a tight beanie and a shirt wrapped around your head.
Vincent Huhta, switch 180 nose manual. Photo: Gerard Riera.
I heard the video has been changing after each premiere, like Josef had last part in the one that was shown in Barca, but then it was Simon in Stockholm… Who do you think should actually have last part?
Vincent: I mean I really liked the one we saw in Barca with Josef having last part, just because I liked the abrupt ending. Like ‘psssiiit’ it’s done. But Simon for sure has the last part part.
Josef Scott Jatta, roll in. Photo: Fabien Ponsero.
What would it take for Gus to one day give himself last part?
Vincent: I don’t really know how he thinks about that stuff but I mean even if I could skate on that level, if I was editing the video I wouldn’t give myself that part I think…
I dunno I’m kinda down for the Gustav ender section, just think of that slowmo intro of him skating into the distance… The minute of slomo bangers at the end…
Vincent: Haha okay that shit’s tight.
Gustav Tønnesen, no comply pole jam grab. Photo: Gerard Riera.
So for how long have you guys known each other then?
Vincent: I don’t know for exactly how many years I’ve known him now but at least 10 or 12.
Martin: Yeah you were really young when we started skating together.
Vincent: We had a crew called the Lynx crew back then haha.
What did you guys love that shoe or something?
Vincent: No, no like the animal. Plus it was cool that it had an X in the name haha.
Of course.
Martin: But yeah for years we skated together so much, but then drifted apart a bit when I started going out.
And all it took was a board to the dome for that friendship to be rekindled! You’re both still based in Stockholm right?
Both: Yeah.
Oscar Candon, switch wallride to fs crook. Photo: Clément Le Gall.
And so where did you film most of your shit for this? Was it mainly on trips to Barca or at home or…?
Martin: Uh it was like a couple of summers in Stockholm and then yeah Barcelona and a few different places in Spain… We rented a house in Conil (in the South of Spain) for the last two months of filming for the video. But it was really weird filming for this one because it felt so spread out. Obviously everyone has been else has been going through the same situation but like we’d go to Barcy to film, and then nothing for a year, then try to film some more… Like I didn’t we really know the tricks we had or what to expect from the movie at this time. Most of the stuff came from those last two months in Conil really. Sometimes you have a picture in your head like ‘this is what I have so I should film this or that to complement it’ but it wasn’t like that at all. But then it meant that when I watched it since I had no idea what people had in there parts I was super stoked. I don’t remember the last time I was that stoked watching a skate video. Maybe when I was a kid or something.
Barney Page, noseslide pop out to the hubba. Photo: Gerard Riera.
How did you guys film when you were in Stockholm? Is there someone there that films VX?
Vincent: Uh well we borrowed one and tried to film each other.
Martin: Yeah we borrowed a VX. But now that I think about it I don’t think Gustav actually has any of that footage haha.
Vincent: Yeah there was a few weeks were Nisse tried to teach me to film, just because we got sick of waiting for everyone to get off work to skate and we thought it would be fun to have a camera and go out together… But yeah the footage turned out horribly.
Martin: But Jack was also here for a couple of weeks… And Gustav in like the summer of like 2019 I think. Or 2020 maybe? Honestly it’s been so long I can’t even really remember all this.
Tom Snape, switch frontside noseblunt. Photo: Gerard Riera.
When did you guys actually start working on it then?
Martin: Koffe got a clip for it the day after the premiere, like he frontside heelflips this trashcan with some confetti at the office.
Hmm I don’t remember that clip.
Vincent: I don’t think that was in the video actually.
Martin: No I think it was in the video! Haha. I swear I saw it in the Barcelona one.
Vincent: Ah yeah true!
Martin: I really hope when he puts it online every time you click on the link it randomly generates you a different version haha.
‘Guys guys I’ve got the fs heelflip version, come check it out!’ Haha.
And what about those two months where you guys were actually all together in Conil? Was it like intense skate mode or did it feel like more of a holiday?
Martin: Definitely like more of a holiday, but then Sour trips are always like a holiday. It was really nice, it just felt like we had a summer house and we were living there for a while.
Yeah I saw that everyone’s girlfriends came and stuff, it looked very chill.
Martin: Yeah it was a lot of people… And lots of glass walls. It had a weird Big Brother house feeling to it. Like it was a weird shaped house where you can see it all from every angle.
Vincent: And no locks on any bathrooms as well haha.
Simon Isaksson, kickflip. Photo: Gerard Riera.
Did you guys have much trouble with VXs breaking and shit? Think the next one will be HD?
Martin: Uh I’m not sure, but the one we have in Stockholm is completely retired. The last time we tried using it wasn’t recording anything, like we tried watching the footage and the tapes were blank. It was Josef we were filming too, and when he does something he’s usually going really fast and it’s dangerous…
I don’t really know how many they have but Gustav’s one still seems to be working fine.
Vincent: We should just only make iPhone videos from now on.
Were either of you guys there for the VX 360 flip?
Vincent: No.
Martin: Same. And I’m happy I wasn’t because that was so nice to see without knowing it was coming. I’d been thinking about it too… Like I know how Simon works, his process, and then last time he did the loop obviously… Like there’s no way of going out and finding a better ender really, but then he did this! In Barcelona it was insane when the crowd got to see that.
Do you think he was putting pressure on himself to top the loop?
Martin: I don’t know, I mean hopefully he can be content with the fact that he’s already done the ender of a lifetime and no longer has to focus all his energy on one specific ender trick… Everything he does is gold anyway.
I like that Axel got put on as you guys turned pro… Like the cycle continues. Anything you can say about him joining?
Martin: I remember the day Love (Öhling) uploaded that part… I shared it in the Sour group chat and everyone went crazy, like it was on! I think I called Bjorn about it almost immediately.
But you guys were already skating with him a bunch right?
Martin: More Vincent actually… But it’s been nice discovering that he’s such a mellow, sincere human being, despite being so rowdy on a skateboard. I’m so happy that he’s on these trips now… Like the energy that he brings! In the preview that you saw is there this really loud bang when he lands the nollie down the stairs at the beginning of a line when he looks back at the camera? Like a loud ‘Pfffourf!!’?
Uh I don’t think so no…
Martin: I guess it wasn’t in the Stockholm one either.
Vincent: Yeah I was standing next to Lomar in Barcy when that came on the screen and he was laughing so hard haha. I think it was a joke he forgot to take out. But yeah it wasn’t in the Stockholm one, or at least it wasn’t as loud cause I remember Axel screaming ‘where’s my bang?!!!’ haha.
Albert Nyberg, hardflip. Photo: Gerard Riera.
Is there anything you guys can share about some of filming missions for the video? Anything really stand out in what you witnessed live? Or just anything you’d like to add about working on it?
Vincent: Uh… No.
Martin: Haha… It’s because as I said it’s been so long it’s impossible to remember stuff like this.
I do remember something else about Axel at the Barca premiere though haha. Sickest situation ever: I was standing next to Vincent and Axel, like they were on my right side and I had Snape on my left side. But then in front of us there was someone that looked exactly like Snape. And everyone was already really hyped about everything, but then when Snape’s part came on Axel went full Axel hype mode on this guy, like shaking him around and pulling his hair and shit, convinced he was Snape. And this guys turns around super scared, like what the fuck is happening. And they properly look at each other in the eyes but Axel was just so hyped that he couldn’t see that it wasn’t Snape haha. So for the entire part Axel was giving this random guy all the love he’s got… But then Sami who’s behind him sees this and also decides to jump in and start hyping ‘Snape’ up like crazy. And I’m just looking at Snape to my left like what the fuck is happening here, you know? But then decide to not say anything until his part ends, at which point I tap him and say ‘Axel, Axel, by the way Snape is just here’, haha. To which he just replies something like ‘I don’t care, he deserves the credit as well!’. Then found the real Snape and hyped him up as well, haha.
It was such a sick moment, imagine seeing another guy’s part and just being called him the whole time.
I love the fact that this poor dude was too shook to say anything too, those three minutes of extremely rowdy love must have felt never ending haha.
Martin Sandberg, kickflip. Photo: Gerard Riera.
