I remember the first time I walked into Mod Salons. I’d been wanting to find a place that could cut my long hair (it used to be much longer), but didn’t feel like I was going to the same place my mum would go. The answer was Sammy Trims and for ages I'd burden him for the Brian Jones a little too long look. A lot of management, but it made me feel like a rockstar! Inevitably, when you’re a musician in the Leeds scene, you’re going to cross paths in multiple different ways; It’s too small not to. I’d go for a drink at Wharf and Sam’s band ‘Ratpakk’ would be playing, so I'd wander in.

Talk about a band with their crowd just an extension of the band. Everyone in that room was theirs and theirs alone. You talk about community building in your business classes, but it’s just so organic with them. Every intermission was a conversation with their mates in the crowd, it was very easy to get indoctrinated into the clan. Great performers, fun is the objective at their shows and everyone is invited. Mince was invited to play at their all day festival last year, but unfortunately Matthew broke his wrist like the day before, so it couldn’t happen. But here we are, finally with a collaboration. Old chapel in Holbeck is where we lay our scene - I’d never been there before, it's a really lovely space with staff that actually get involved.

I love the feeling when you feel people build in excitement as you go through the process. I think it’s very understandable when a stranger walks into a room with a shitty little mixer and a few sm57s to be sceptical of their ability to create something special. Not that they were thinking that, but obviously people open up as we progress. The first job wasn’t drums believe it or not, it was Xander’s synth that was the base layer. Sat on the floor, barefooted, programming the rhythm and then sitting back. Cool as you like. Then Joe on drums, following the flow of the synth. Punk demands trashy drums in my opinion - punk should be anti polish (as in the act of cleaning, I have nothing against the people of Poland). Love the fact it moves around the synth, sometimes it takes a backseat, but then takes over the rhythm section.

Vin was the next one up. Talk about distortion, he’s purely about noise. There was a bit of notation, but halfway through he resorts to just hammering the low E. The whole ground shook, but Vin, unbothered, just let it ring out. Proper punk. Now was time for Will - heavy metal chugging to make sure the low end was delivering as much punch as possible, looking completely unfazed as he did it. We had one of the staff members walk in and take an interest in what we were doing, always nice to catch bystanders in the lo-fi crossfire. There’s a little video on their socials capturing the next phase. Sam and Luc passing the telephone mic to one another, changing up the vibe of the song drastically with their rap verses. With the telephone mic, it really reminded me of the Bassline I was listening to back in the day. Anyone remember MC Burberry? Tinie Tempah’s Passout turned into an MW2 parody tune. Those were the days.

Proper fun, as you’d expect. I didn’t expect the telephone mic to come through like it did, I thought it would be lost in with the synth and guitar, but there we were, clear as day, listening through the PA. Really happy with this one and vastly different to any other session I’ve done so far. So if you’re ever having a Freedom Lager at Wharf Chambers and you hear a band rapping about Air Max and cigarettes to the backing of a punk band, have a wander in, you won't regret it.

For fans of: Bob Vylan, Sleaford Mods and Asteroid Boys