We chat to Canterbury musician Sam Sure about his love of basketball and new clothing brand Half Decent Day

Good things can come out of strange situations. And it’s fair to say that the past two years have been pretty unprecedented by anyone’s book.

For some, it was a time to take stock and think about the important things, while for others it provided an opportunity to try something new.

Musician Sam Sure (aka Uncool Sam) had a foot in both camps, creating a fashion brand that has a great ethos behind it.

A Canterbury native, you might know Sam (@samsuremusic) from his monstrously popular tracks like Hunger, which has racked up seven million plays on Spotify alone, but we have known Sam since we first saw him play in the duet Sam Sure & Giacomo on the same stage as Roots Manuva at the Lounge on the Farm festival back in 2009.

“It was the best time of my life,” says Sam. “I would never have left that band, I still believe in it. It was organic, it was before I moved to London and came into the music business – it was a pure time and it wasn’t tainted, which meant everything was pure energy and everything was a gift. Every fan was all real – it didn’t feel manufactured or contrived in any way.”

And while Sam played the Reading and Leeds festivals with “ridiculous talent” Giacomo and the pair were being courted by record labels, it wasn’t until he went solo that things really went to a new level.

Immersing himself in the music business meant that Sam Sure was signed to Black Butter Records (which now has the likes of J Hus and Tyga), shortly before it was bought by Sony.

“I played some really big shows, like supporting Years & Years and also supporting Rudimental, who were playing with Ed Sheeran in Ibiza Rocks,” he says. “It was a really electric gig, everyone in the crowd was buzzing, and I remember feeling that I wished I was in the same space I was when I played Reading and Leeds with Giacomo.

“There was more expectation once I moved to London and had a record deal – there was an expectation to play those gigs, it was like ‘Well, I should be playing this stuff’. Expectation kills everything, in every vibe, in every scenario, ever.”

Having been in the industry for more than decade, Sam decided that a different path needed to be trodden and has been writing music for other artists.

And while he is also soon to release a debut record under new name Uncool Sam, on French independent label Unity, the pandemic certainly altered the day-to-day of a musician. But for Sam, it provided a new focus for his creativity.

HALF DECENT DAY

“During the lockdown, and I’m sure just like everybody else, I found myself not knowing what day it was,” says Sam. “So I made a T-shirt that said ‘what day is it?’.

“I’ve always made T-shirts because I’ve always liked making stuff. And making something physical in the digital age is even more rewarding.”

Bored of “playing PlayStation all day” or “noodling on his guitar”, Sam decided to see how far his T-shirt would go.

With the positive ethos behind the name Half Decent Day (@halfdecentday) decided upon, and a theme that tied into Sam’s love of basketball, things started moving.

“I didn’t want to do it half-heartedly, I wanted to be a bit more ambitious with it,” says Sam.

“I think the key to it, from an art point of view and not a business point of view, is to create what you like and don’t spend too much time worrying what people want.

“That probably goes against every business plan ever, but that’s not what this is – I’m not trying to start a huge enterprise, I just like making stuff, and the fact that people like it and are buying it is a bonus”

— Sam Sure

“That probably goes against every business plan ever, but that’s not what this is – I’m not trying to start a huge enterprise, I just like making stuff, and the fact that people like it and are buying it is a bonus.”

With limited runs of each item, the project has already managed to capture a niche market that is also concerned with quality over quantity.

“The idea of bulk-buying stuff from Asia doesn’t really appeal to me,” says Sam. “We are going to make small quantities of stuff.

“I don’t like the disposable nature of life in general and I don’t want to make clothes that people wear twice and then throw away. I want to make stuff like I grew up with, when we kept clothes for five or 10 years.”

B-BALL

Many of the Half Decent Day products have a story behind their creation, not least the more basketball-related items – for example, the black tee featuring the logo of the now-defunct London Towers basketball team that was very popular in the 90s.

“I played for the London Towers youth team. I got scouted when I was 15 because Canterbury had an amazing basketball scene – all really down to one guy, Kevin Paice, who set up a basketball club – and now Kent Crusaders are one of the biggest basketball clubs in the country.

“It was an amazing part of my life, but the money in British basketball fell out and the club folded in the end [2009].

“I used to have that T-shirt with the Towers’ logo on it,” he laughs. “But it got ripped during a fight outside Wetherspoons in Canterbury when I was a teenager and I was never able to get it again.”

On starting Half Decent Day, Sam investigated who owned the logo licence and it turned out that nobody did – the T-shirt is now highly sought after.

Also garnering interest are HDD custom basketballs – taking on the might of the Spaldings and Wilsons of this world.

“There isn’t really a brand in England that is doing it. I mean there’s not a mass demand for it either, but I make stuff that I like and my friends like. They’re really good quality that you can really use. So I’m wondering what the next step is, maybe having some stockists.”

The basketball thread running through all the creations was inflamed during lockdown as Sam discovered a community in Deptford known affectionately as Blue Cage.

“I asked them if I could play… and I can’t explain how amazing the community is around this basketball court,” says Sam. “There’s a real sense of the older ones helping the kids to develop, and it’s all just organised by the people there – it’s a council court.”

Sam explained how during lockdown he had taken it upon himself to get the court resurfaced.

“I’ve been contacting Lewisham Council every month, sometimes every week, to get permission to paint it,” says Sam. “It’s incredible how long it has taken the council to come to a decision, considering I offered to do it without any cost to the council – they still couldn’t agree to it.”

Ever creative, Sam has started filming a documentary about the Blue Cage community.

“It might end up being about UK basketball in general, but I started making it about the Cage because of the warmth and family vibe of the place and all the different characters. There’s real magic down there.”

Creating a T-shirt in tribute to the Blue Cage and shooting promo videos on the court, Sam is also looking to put money back into the development of the facilities.

“Some of the guys don’t have money for T-shirts and basketballs, so my hope is to generate enough interest to make profit to feed back into the court by buying nets and doing the resurfacing.

“It’s amazing just how much a community can change if the council puts investment in the right areas. And I’m not going to stop until it’s done because I love it and want it to be amazing for everyone who plays there, including me.”