On a chilly Thursday night, two powerful forces took to the stage at Manchester Academy. Cardiff’s Panic Shack were bound to impress; going from strength to strength through their musical career, from their acclaimed debut album this year, to headline tours throughout the UK. And I was delighted that they picked such a solid opener to start the night off with a bang: PUNCHBAG were exactly the wallop I needed to prepare for the high energy chaos that followed.
Panic Shack made an impression as soon as they walked on stage. Seeing lead singer Sarah strut out wearing a Dennis the Menace t-shirt, and the guitar/bass players move in a choreographed squat, we knew we were about to be entertained. In the space of four songs the entire front row were dancing, and of course lively mosh pits emerged.
For just over an hour, the band delivered classic rock guitar music with a modern edge. With a mixture of melodic catchy songs and quick riffs, to bass heavy PJ Harvey-esque tracks. They continuously blended genres with a defiant attitude. You could tell that each of the members were all genuinely good friends. This only brightened the night, as they played off each other’s charismatic, charming chemistry. Frankly, I wanted to join them on stage, because it seemed like they were having so much fun.
Another favourite of the night was ‘Jiu Jits You’, an early single from the band’s repertoire, that introduced the co-ordinated dance moves again. A good surprise was their cover of the classic rock song ‘War Pigs’ by Black Sabbath, which was interesting to hear twisted into the Panic Shack way.
A standout was when introducing ‘Personal Best’ the band joked,
This is a deeply personal one. This song is about when Emily ran a marathon on magic mushrooms
It’s always an indicator of a good gig if you leave with a smile and your ears ringing, and that’s exactly what happened at this show.
Openers PUNCHBAG were the very definition of indie-pop punk fun. The London band are led by the exuberant brother-sister duo, Clara and Anders Bach. Their sibling dynamic carries on stage, as you can sense their camaraderie with each other and the rest of the band on bass/synth and drums as Clara uses every corner of the stage to dance and jump around.
Highlights of the set were ‘Fuck It’ and ‘You Used To Be So Sexy’, songs tackling difficult issues but in a tongue-in-cheek way.
The band describe themselves as “aggressive hopecore” and I couldn’t agree more. It felt cathartic watching the vitality of this group. Quite honestly, it’s a joyful sight to see an alternative band enjoy themselves on stage, but as you watched Clara smile getting the crowd to clap along, it was hard not to smile back at her.