What was the inspiration behind starting Rat Mode? 

Luc: It all started from when we got booked to play with a band called Rats! Rats! Rats! from Gosport down south at 1in12 in Bradford. We loved their sound – and them! – straight away and wanted to have them play with us in Leeds. Because our names are both rat themed we decided to call the gig Rat Mode (we use “mode” as a suffix on words all the time) and Vin decided to add the year after because we reckoned it’d be fun to do something with it as a recurring event.

Vin: When we started the band, Rat Pakk, we struggled to get gigs, didn’t know any promoters and felt we were kind of in a position of that if we wanted to play live we’d have to do it ourselves. Given we are cursed with an over inflated sense of self belief (which far outstrips our ability!), we thought that if we put a gig together then we should headline –  undaunted by the fact hardly anybody had heard of us! Wharf was the dream venue – it’s a second home to us and inviting our mates Rats Rats Rats along maintained the rat theme  – hence Rat Mode was born!

It was really from this gig that we started Pakk Promotions, initially to put on our own gigs but this has expanded over the last year or so to organising and promoting for a whole range of bands both from Leeds and beyond! We’ve hosted touring bands form the North East, East Midlands, Brighton and even the USA, across a whole range of genres, with more exciting things still to come. The central ethos behind Pakk Promotions is maintaining the core principles of keeping it independent, DIY and putting the bands and the artists first and foremost. 

What’s the history of Rat Mode? How have previous events been received and what have you adapted/learnt from/overcome from past events?

Luc: The first one was a great time and we got a decent crowd – we were relatively small back then so it was mainly our mates coming to our gigs. The second one was a huge success! We experimented with having a host between bands but timing is so tight and people need a chance to go to the toilet and have a cig so we’ve given up on that idea. 

Vin: The first Rat Mode was in 2023 and it was definitely a steep learning curve! We honestly didn’t have a clue what we were doing and just kind of made it up as we went along (which we’re still doing now by the way). Things that could’ve gone wrong did do – from not noticing a crucial spelling error on the posters (the support band Prima Mobilia being listed as Ppima Mobilia, which we didn’t pick up until just before the gig and decided to wing it and hope no one noticed – including Prima!); the sound engineer not turning up, leaving all the bands messing around with wires and cables and staring incomprehensibly at a sound desk that no one had a clue how to operate – luckily Iuean from Artio stepped in at the last minute on sound and somehow the gig went ahead! But it was a fantastic night, the crowd was brilliant and that sense of everyone pulling together to make it happen was so special.

It was from then that we decided to run Rat Mode as an annual event and keep it as the first Saturday in September. For Rat Mode ‘24 we wanted to build on the previous year and keep trying to do stuff a little bit different (the previous year we incorporated spoken word into our set) so in addition to the bands we had – the absolutely incredible Pseudocunt and Draags (who we’re lucky to have joining us again this year) – we had drag/cabaret (Vicky P) opening the show and performing in between the bands. It was a logistical nightmare but alongside the bands it helped to give the whole night an aura of chaos, mayhem and anarchy – exactly the vibe we were after! It couldn’t have gone any better, it was a packed room and the place was bumping!

We’ve learnt a lot over the past couple of years (apart from knowing our limitations!) but we’ve also kept a sense of what next? What can we do different? Can we go bigger? And this is why this year we came up with the crazy idea of putting together an all dayer with bands not just from Leeds but across the North. The work, the effort, the logistics required for all this is, to be frank, immense but we absolutely love doing it, wouldn’t change a thing and refuse to be limited in our ambitions! We can’t wait for the 6^th September and hope everyone has a fantastic time!

What does Wharf Chambers mean to you? And what is the importance of the communities it welcomes and supports?

Luc: Wharf Chambers means everything to us. It’s where the band was originally formed – it’s where most of us found all of the amazing friends we have. We’re a queer band and it’s so important to have spaces where we and the people who love us feel completely safe. Right now is a rough time to be trans and places like wharf chambers not only allow us to be ourselves surrounded by other people like us – they give us a chance to support each other emotionally, physically AND financially. There’s always fundraisers and mutual aid happening which is essential during a time where the established power structures offer us no support. 

Val: Wharf Chambers is a very special place, not just for me or Pakk Promotions but our friends and communities as well. It gives people a place to feel safe and welcomed when literally everything (including our government) is actively working against us. Spaces like Wharf that are made for queer people, people of colour and marginalised groups need to exist as hubs for community and solidarity. 

How did you decide on the artists for this years Rat Mode and how did you discover them?

Luc: This year’s line up is a mix of our good friends – like Lavender Gray and Draags, bands we’ve played with before like Johnny Cosmic and bands we’ve discovered through going to their gigs and through seeing their stuff on social media.

Vin: We came up with a long list of bands that we wanted to invite to Rat Mode. This included bands we knew and have played with, bands that we’d seen live and bands that had got in touch from around the North looking for gigs in Leeds. We wanted a line up that was broad and eclectic in nature, encompassing a range of genres – from punk to hardcore, indie, rock, queercore to post punk – with bands with very different sounds but that would also complement one another. Overall, I think we’ve achieved that. Finally, above all else, we all are massive fans of all the bands involved and it’s just gonna be ace to be able to see them all sharing a stage.

It’s clear how much care and effort you put into your events, is there anyone you’d like to shout out that’s helped make these events so special?

Luc & Vin:  Firstly, we’d like to say a big thank you to all the bands who’ve agreed to take part and get behind this – honestly this means so much to us! Secondly, a massive shout out to everyone involved in Pakk Promotions from the Rat Pakk crew, to Val for managing doors and merch and for being the voice of reason amidst a bunch of hot heads with wild ideas, Tyler for amazing designs and to Abi for getting on board recently and giving new energy to the project. Special shout outs to Robyn (aka @thehappysnappy) who’ll be taking photos throughout the day and to Mish and Phyn (aka PHYISH food) for catering. Thanks to the staff at wharf for putting up with us. And finally, a massive, massive thank you to everyone who buys a ticket and joins us on the day!

Val: Everyone! To the venues that give us spaces to put these events on, the sound techs & photographers who make sure events are sounding their best and looking their best and every single person who’s showed up, bought a ticket or interacted with us in any way, we do it for you and we wouldn’t be able to do it without you ❤ 

Anything else you’d like to mention?

Val: Support your local scene ! If you have the funds to do so, buy a ticket in advance, and if you can’t (everything is expensive right now) then even just interacting with posts, send them to your friends you think might enjoy the event, share it on your story! Events are (unfortunately) a numbers game on social media now so anything to get the word out helps make sure us and other incredible groups putting on events get to keep doing this stuff.

FREE PALESTINE! TRANS KIDS DESERVE BETTER!