I’m good thank you. I’m working today so I wasn’t drinking much last night. No hangover!

I’m mental health support worker.

I was born in Poland in Warsaw, I moved to UK 17 years ago and I live in Cardiff.

Things were different, times were different. We had lots of boneheads everywhere. We used to clash a lot, especially late 90s. Back then if you heard the word ‘skinhead’ people would think about nazi skinheads. Not many people knew that this is not how it started.

Yes, it was back in Poland. I listened to Punk when I was 12. Somehow around the age of 17 / 18 where I became a skingirl. This is when subculture started growing more in Poland.

It’s a way of life, sense of belonging, connection with people with similar life views and interests. It’s standing up against racism and other prejudice. It’s music, it’s fashion and I can’t imagine being a skinhead without football.

In my home town we have 2 football teams and Polonia Warsaw is my love. We used to gather as Punks and Skins, opposite to Legia Warsaw who would mostly have boneheads and chavs. For us it was again being together there, being connected, having similar views and supporting the same football team. It was another place to meet, clash with supporters of opposite team and very often with police too. Adrenaline was there.

I was always fascinated by football related songs; ‘Drug Is Football‘ by Vanilla Muffins was on my mind every time my team played. Polish OI! / Ska bands pretty much always sing about football. If it’s coming from Poland we have poor football but ‘good’ hooligans.

I was bit of hooligan girl back in a day. There weren’t that many Skin or Punk girls around, and often they would not last long, I had serious football fever, I’m actually lucky that nothing happened to me and that I still have all my teeth…

I do! There is never enough Fred Perry clothes in my wardrobe! I bought my first Fred Perry when I was 18 (1999) for my birthday money. It was black and yellow. I had to buy the smallest size for men as they didn’t have ladies sizes in the shop. It was still a littlebit too big! It was long time before we all had access to the internet. But we had charity shops! And they were getting clothes from the UK to Polish charity shops. If you were lucky you could dig out some really amazing and unique Fred Perry clothes.

Because it’s got a smart look reserved to only certain groups of people. However nowadays it’s worn by many. But still, if you know you know. It became a symbol, our symbol,

I find people more friendly in Wales, but Cardiff is much smaller than Warsaw so the Skinhead community is smaller too. In Poland I noticed people making own groups. We knew eachother but you mostly stuck with your bunch, either from school or your area etc…

Not sure how it is now as I’m not there much. The scene is still going strong in Poland as far as I know. Did it change anything for me? I enjoy going out more. It’s different when you make friends when you’re a teenager or when you are in your 40s. Haha!

I probably met and connected with more people and surely I discovered more bands over here. Still Poland has a pretty good bunch of punk and OI! bands to offer…

Cock Sparrer, Business, Specials, Cockney Rejects and The Oppressed. But if I can name more then 5 artists I would also say Madness, Fatal Blow, Red Alert, Vanilla Muffinss. And from Poland I like Analogs, Ramzes And The Hooligans, The Real Horrorshow and Skankan. Oh and The Addicts!

Things have already changed, mostly due to the internet and social media and they keep on changing. And it has good and bad sides. I remember times when you knew about gigs from either your mates or posters somewhere in town. It was tricky but also cool and it was proper underground. Now you have everything served on the plate. You follow a band, you get notifications when they are playing in your area.

And you have digital tickets nowadays! I miss proper paper tickets. I kept every single one of them from the past. It’s nice to see young people joining subcultures but there is always bit of worry here for me. Being a skinhead it’s not a fashion or phase. You either feel it and it’s in you or you are just a poser and you won’t last.

I remember times when I was more likely to be punched in the face for the way I look. I would have negative comments for sure. Now I don’t know what is going on but there’s a hype going on with Skinhead girls. I don’t know how many times I was called cute on Instagram or that I have cute hairstyle. A bunny is cute, you can call a hippie girl cute I guess? But call me cute and I will make you smell my fist! Skingirls are now being seen as ‘hot’. That is annoying as fuck!

I don’t want to be scary, more like ‘approach with caution’. Just don’t want to be treated or seen as a doll or sex object. Not cool!

We always have music playing at home; OI!, Punk, Ska Metal, Psychobilly etc… So my kids had music education from the early days but I’ll let them make own choices.

I would say to her: stay rude, stay rebel and stay true! And also that she has to save some money haha! I would also tell her to avoid toxic people and not to let them in her life but I guess she needed to learn it this way to be tougher.