Mince

Oporto Bar

Support: Substandards, Clit Spit

With the release of their new single ‘Sad Old Jumper’, Mince were in the mood to put on a hometown headline show at Oporto to welcome their new music to the world. For those who haven’t crossed paths with them, Mince are a Leeds-born DIY post-punk outfit. Forming in 2022, they have a solid underground following in Leeds and have found themselves performing in Soho, Paris, and will soon add the feather of Reykjavik, Iceland to their cap. 

Opening the show was Substandards; a rock-n-roll four piece from Leeds. Their indie anthems and youthful energy got the crowd going. It was a slick and confident performance for a band who have only been on the scene since 2023. Yorkshire has been the birthplace of some indie rock greats (Arctic Monkeys, The Pigeon Detectives, and The Cribs) so Substandards are certainly one to keep an eye on if there is something in the water in these parts. Next up was Clit Spit, a newly created feminist punk band. When seeing them, you would not have guessed they had only just formed a few months previously which is testament to their raw talent. Powerful vocals and strong punk infused riffs had the crowds’ feet stomping and left you excited for what they are planning next. 

With the room packed out, it was time for Mince to push through the crowd to take the stage. Opening 

with their unreleased number ‘Fever Dream’, swiftly followed by their debut release ‘Ditch’ Mince quickly locked in. George paced around the stage shrieking the lyrics and is a real presence when at the helm. The band’s recent trip to Paris could be seen as influential on their work as Jamie took over with the well-executed French vocals for ‘Roadworks on the B6369’. The performance was peppered with the band’s current singles like ‘Misprint’, ‘All I Ever Wanted, Was to Be’, and ‘(Don’t Forget) You Can’t Swim’ but also included snippets of what may be in the pipeline and the current style the band are playing around with. Finishing off with their new single ‘Sad Old Jumper’, Mince flaunted their maturing style with an emotionally charged and complex addition to their repertoire. Speaking with Matthew, the band’s drummer, after the gig, although looking back the members were a bit tense about their headline show, they were chuffed with how it went. It meant a lot that the room was so full of people singing along to their songs. 

Oporto itself also does add something special to any band who perform there. The stage is attached to the infamous Call Lane dive bar and is a long and narrow space. Even at half capacity, it is cosy, with the energy of the music and crowd reverberating to create a buzzing atmosphere. It is a good spot to catch up and coming artists in the city and I appeal to you to keep an eye on shows that pop up there.

All in all, a great gig at a top-class venue, to welcome to the world a belter of a new song from Mince. I for one am looking forward to seeing what comes next for all the bands on tonight’s bill.  

Words by J. Konopinski. First photo by Phoebe (@phoebevwrites). Second photo by Matt Auger (@mattgoesgigs).