Our team recently had a chat with Dan Hodson, who is ACC alumni from Access Creative College’s Lincoln campus. He gave us an insight into his career as a drummer and how he also started his own music PR and marketing agency SickSet Media.
What was your time at Access Creative College in Lincoln like?
When I first joined Access Creative College, I thought I had a simple path ahead. I wanted to be a drummer, and that was it. I figured the course would sharpen my skills, maybe get me into a decent band, maybe get me a few gigs. I could not have known then that it would change my life completely, opening doors I had not even realised were there, leading me from cramped rehearsal rooms to stages across Europe, and eventually to founding a PR and marketing agency that champions the very music I grew up loving.
On the first day, walking into that building with my drumsticks poking out of my bag, I already knew how to play, or at least I thought I did. What Access Creative gave me was something harder to define, but far more valuable. They taught me how to think like a musician, not just a player. How to see the bigger picture, not just focus on what was right in front of me. Creativity was not boxed into an instrument or a practice room. It was everywhere. In the conversations between classes, in the way tutors encouraged us to think beyond just playing better. We were taught to imagine what a life in music could look like.
Two modules in particular stand out when I think back. These were ‘Working in the Music Industry’ and ‘Performing Live Music’. On paper, they sound straightforward. In reality, they were transformative. ‘Working in the Music Industry’ pulled back the curtain on how everything worked, the unglamorous side, the parts no one tells you about when you are growing up dreaming of making it. The ‘Performing Live Music’ module was also something else. It was where I learned that playing well is only half the battle. Connection with an audience, understanding the dynamics of a performance, and knowing how to adapt when things inevitably go wrong. Those lessons dug in deep.
One day that has stayed with me more than most was the drumming workshop with Jason Bowld from Bullet For My Valentine. Until then, people like him felt like they lived on another planet. Untouchable. Yet here he was, standing right in front of us, breaking down techniques, sharing stories. Watching him play up close changed something in me. It made the dream feel real. It showed me that the line between fan and professional was not as wide as I had thought. That it could be crossed, with enough work and enough belief.
Another vivid moment in my memory was our soundcheck at The Engine Shed in Lincoln. A full-size venue. Real lights, real monitors, real pressure. For a bunch of college students, it was a taste of the world we wanted to be part of. I remember feeling nervous in a way that was different from any classroom performance. This was not just about showing your mates what you could do. This was about stepping up in a real environment, with real stakes. We also entered the Lincolnshire Battle of the Bands and made it to the finals. It might not sound like much now, but at the time, it felt massive. A tiny validation that maybe, just maybe, we were getting somewhere.
Back then, I was a metalhead through and through. I lived and breathed heavy music. My double-kick pedal was practically an extension of my legs. But Access pushed me to be more. To listen to things outside my comfort zone. To play styles I would never have touched otherwise. It was uncomfortable at first. It challenged my ego. It made me realise I had been hiding behind a technicality. Big credit goes to Dan Swinburne, who refused to let me coast. He pushed me to finish my grades, to become not just a faster drummer, but a better one. A more musical one.
It was at Access that the first seeds of SickSet Media were planted, though it would be years before I even realised it. We were taught that being a great musician was not enough. That if no one knew who you were, it did not matter. That stuck with me. I tucked it away somewhere, knowing it would be important later, even if I could not yet see how.
What did you do after leaving Access Creative College?
After Access, I went on to study Audio Production at the University of Lincoln. I wanted to understand music from every angle, not just playing but producing, engineering, branding, and marketing. University was a chance to explore everything that interested me. I threw myself into it completely. Songwriting, recording, mixing, and working with other musicians. It was messy, chaotic, and completely brilliant. Some of the people I met during that time are still in my life today, still making music.
One of my favourite projects was being part of a collective that wrote and recorded a full album together. No outside help. Just a group of students figuring it out, learning by doing, arguing, compromising, creating. It was real in a way that classroom exercises rarely are. I also decided to complete a Diploma in Digital Marketing while I was there. That turned out to be one of the smartest decisions I ever made. It opened my eyes to how much strategy matters in getting music heard. Paid ads, A/B testing, building a brand, speaking directly to an audience instead of shouting into the void. It might sound dry compared to writing riffs or smashing drum fills, but it is what turns passion into careers.
It was at university that Borders began. Just a few mates from Access getting together to make heavy music because we could not imagine doing anything else. It started small, a few jams, a few demos. Then it started to grow. We began playing shows, recording properly, and building a following. We made every mistake you can make. Bad deals, sketchy promoters, broken vans, you name it. But every mistake taught us something. Slowly, painfully, we learned.
Borders ended up doing things we had only ever dreamed of. We played Download Festival. We toured across the UK and Europe. We got played on BBC Radio 1. We were featured in Metal Hammer and Kerrang. We signed with Arising Empire and SPV. We worked with amazing people like The Kirby Organisation and FM Music Management. It was exhausting. It was exhilarating. It was everything we had hoped for, and more.
I remember one night after a sold-out show supporting Whitechapel in London. We went out to grab some food after the gig, came back, and found the venue locked up tight with all our gear still inside. No one around. No one was answering phones. We did what any band would do in that situation. Found the cheapest hotel we could, went out again, turned the whole thing into a party. The next morning, we woke up to find the car park with our van in it on fire. Fire engines everywhere, chaos unfolding. Somehow, our van was untouched, and eventually, a very confused cleaner let us back into the venue to get our gear. It should have been a disaster, but it just became another story to laugh about later. One of a hundred tiny memories that made that time unforgettable.
Want to study music in Lincoln?
If you are based in Lincoln or the surrounding Lincolnshire area, and want to study a music course, Access Creative College is the place to be! Our Lincoln campus offer courses in Music Performance, and Music Production.
Apply online to start in September!
