David Walker's answer to the Guardian.

A recent broadsheet article (in The Guardian specifically) claims mod bands today aren’t very good. But do they actually exist? Or is it a case of mods finding bands that suit their musical tastes?

Seems an odd thing for The Guardian to take on, but the state of the mod band was just what was in their sights this week. Apparently, there’s a new breed of mods, but the bands catering for them are a bit rubbish. That was the general gist. But what actually is a ‘mod band’?

The mod scene has never been completely band-driven in its history. In the ’60s, there were plenty of bands, but bands that filled a gap in the market, often playing their own take on soul 45s in cellar bars. Obviously they appealed to mods. On top of that, there were bands made up of mods, which was hardly a surprise in the early to mod-60s. But ultimately, the likes of The Action and The Small Faces were still bands – great bands that were taken up by mods on their merits.

Of course, The Who were famously styled as a mod band and Townshend himself was always a self-confessed mod. However, they had something else on their side that took them much further than a haircut and a pop art t-shirt. They had ability, talent and dedication, as well as the foresight to see beyond the mod phenomena. That’s why they became one of the biggest bands in the world. TBC HERE.