I did try scuffing the pads as well as disc with sand paper and it made no difference, but I will give it another go again.
The brakes themselves feel fine as in they don't feel spongy and everything returns as it should, so no need to bleed or push bits about.
If all else fails then I will look into these jitse pads and new rotors as these non grabby brakes are as good as v-brakes from the 90s