Veteran Leeds art-rocker Mik Artistic has had quite the life. Born to Irish parents – his father was a one-time member of a Leitrim ceilidh band – the man also known as Michael Gallagher had his creative passion ignited after seeing a Sex Pistols gig whilst a student at Bradford Art College. After drifting for a few years, he eventually became a celebrated local caricaturist in – wait for it – Longford, before returning to the UK.

In more recent years, Mik performed as a stand-up comic – even coming second to Peter Kay in the So You’re Think You’re Funny competition at Edinburgh – before turning to music. In that capacity, he has fronted Mik Artistik’s Ego Trip, whose surreal and often very funny compositions have won approval from the likes of Jarvis Cocker and Clash legend Mick Jones.

One of the many notable elements of the Artistik story is that while an art student, Mik was a good friend of one Mark Manning, later to find fame fronting ironic hard-rock act Zodiac Mindwarp.