By Steven Burgess
Panchiko has one of the most fascinating origin stories of any band in the 21st century - the modern-day Rodriguez (see “Searching for Sugar Man”).
Panchiko was the joint effort of four British high school students that used cheap recording equipment to make an EP called D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L, released in 2000 with only 30 copies released. The collective never got signed to a label, and the EP would remain a relic lost to time until 2016, when a 4Chan user posted a distorted version online after buying a damaged CD at a local thrift store. This post resulted in a 4-year dedicated online search into the whereabouts of Panchiko and its founding members.
In 2020, the lead singer Owain Davies was contacted via Facebook about the potential lead of him being a part of Panchiko, which he soon confirmed. Since then, the original members of Panchiko reformed, touring across North America and Europe, with their resurgence resulting in a dedicated cult fanbase.
Panchiko is currently on tour for their newest record, Ginkgo. Last week, Panchiko performed at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona, with flyingfish and Alison’s Halo as opening acts.
The first opener, flyingfish, automatically caught my attention with the kaleidoscopic imagery they flooded the stage with. Loud and distorted Shoegaze filled the venue as 16-year-old Arizona-based frontman Sam Fishman passionately sang over angst-ridden songs. I commend Fishman and his band for the sonic textures throughout their set (“forest green” & “long forgotten” being prime examples) and the confidence they had on stage at such a young age.
The next opener, Alison’s Halo, was the best I’ve ever seen live. The Shoegaze/Dream Pop group hailing from Arizona played as if they headlined, delivering lush vocals and heavenly instrumentation. Hearing a song like “Slowbleed” live felt like the sonic equivalent of floating, with the guitars bathed in pedals and played with pristine tone. I was taken aback by how amazing the group sounded live, feeling that I had awoken from a trance once their set finished.
At 10pm, Panchiko got on stage and gave a performance to remember. For every song the band performed, I felt like I was listening to their music for the first time. Davies’ live vocals were electrifying, with some fantastic belting on tracks like “Kicking Cars.” The rawness of the vocals paired wonderfully with the great playing from guitarist/keyboardist Andy Wright, bassist Shaun Ferreday, drummer John Schofield, and additional guitarist Rob Harris.
Each band member on-stage radiated a genuine love for their craft as they looked out into a crowd of people who fell in love with their music purely by chance. Back in 2023, Owain Davies gave a quote to SPIN Magazine citing that “It’s hard to take it all in… Sometimes you have to pinch yourself and go, ‘woah, look at all these people who know who we are and want to see us.’ It’s mad” (Author: Max Pilley).
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the crowd, fans began to sing numerous Panchiko songs word for word. I can hardly remember the last time I had been in a decently small venue with a crowd that had as much enthusiasm and love for a band as this one. The mainly teenage audience caused me goosebumps when singing along to a song like “D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L” or “Untitled Demo 1997.”
The emotional apex of the concert was “Laputa,” with a powerful display of vulnerability from Davies in his vocal performance and the effective instrumentation from quaint piano to soft guitar arpeggios by Wright. As people around me recited every line of the song, Panchiko’s live sound hit a new level of substance that surpassed anything recorded. As the set neared its end, I felt that the band had tapped into the crowd’s heart, expressing intangible feelings through melodic songs ranging from upbeat fun (“Stuck”) to touching (“Lifestyle Trainers”) and performing with an authentic nature I simply cannot describe.