Panchiko! She's Forgotten Her Car Keys!
- Carolina Arroyo-Casanova
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
What's up Freaks and Rebelz it's your Midwest Sweetheart and Radio Rebel here, your favorite earworms and avid concert goers. Panchiko came to Chicago on April 28th for their Pop Music Tour celebrating their new album Ginkgo, and we had the very great honor of doing press coverage for their show. Before we get into it, I would like to give a shout out to Panchiko’s management! Great people, and genuinely so helpful, thank you, WE LOVE YOU!
Now if you live under a rock and don't know who exactly Panchiko is, we’ve got you! Panchiko is an English indie rock band originally formed in Nottingham, England in the late 1990s by members Owain Davies (vocals and guitar), Andy Wright (guitar and production), Shaun Ferreday (bass), and John Schofield (drums). What makes their story so insane is that they were basically lost media for years. Back in 2000, the band self-released a demo CD called D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L before quietly disappearing. Fast forward almost two decades later, somebody found a worn-down copy of the CD in a charity shop. The disc had degraded over time, giving the songs this distorted, eerie, nostalgic sound that people online absolutely fell in love with. The album started spreading across the internet through forums and YouTube, and suddenly people everywhere were trying to figure out who Panchiko actually was. Eventually, fans tracked the band members down online, reuniting them after years apart. Since then, Panchiko has grown into one of the biggest cult indie success stories of the internet era.
Now before I even get into the actual concert, I need to talk about the fact that this was my FIRST EVER time doing press and honestly? I was a tad bit nervous. Not only was it my first time doing press, but it was also my first time using a professional camera. The night before the concert I was literally watching a two-hour long YouTube tutorial, literally trying to figure out what ISO even means. My respects to all photographers, there’s literally a science to it... but I tried, okay… Anywho, once we got inside the House of Blues and got settled in, all the nerves kind of disappeared. There’s genuinely something so surreal about standing with a crowd of people there for the exact same reason, with the same excitement as you…with a camera around your neck knowing you’re there representing UIC Radio.
Honestly, hearing Panchiko live was such a different experience than listening at home... Since the original D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L recordings were made when they were still high school kids, you would kind of expect their sound to be super different now that they’re in their 40s. But honestly? They sounded almost identical to the recordings, which genuinely shocked me in the best way possible. If anything, they sounded even more refined live while still keeping that same nostalgic, dreamy, slightly haunting sound everybody fell in love with online.
Also, I’m a HUGE Radiohead fan, and after seeing Panchiko live, they honestly sound similar to them, especially the lead, Owain Davies' voice reminds me a lot of Thom Yorke’s. And it all just clicked.. why I was immediately drawn to Panchiko when I first heard them.
The atmospheric guitars, emotional vocals, and almost floating feeling of some of their songs really gave me that same emotional experience I get listening to Radiohead. Hopefully that helps paint a picture of how they sound because trying to explain Panchiko’s music without just saying “go listen to them immediately” is honestly difficult… But I’ll try! Their sound is super unique, kind of a blend of indie rock, shoegaze, experimental rock, electronic elements, and dreamy lo-fi textures all mashed together into something that feels nostalgic in a way that, again, you can’t really explain. Songs like D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L, Laputa, All They Wanted Kicking Cars, and my personal favorite, Sodium Chloride, have become fan favorites over the years. UNFORTUNATELY, they didn’t play it live.
One thing I really appreciated about this setlist was the gradual ascent. They opened with a lot of newer material from Ginkgo and Failed At Math, before transitioning into the songs their bangers towards the end… Their setlist for the night included:
And honestly, hearing those last few songs live felt like the entire venue ascended at once. The crowd knew every word. When they played D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L (their most known track) everybody around me was singing like their lives depended on it. “She’s forgotten car keys”. Catchy little lyric, if you know you know, and if you don’t... go listen right now!! You can find them almost everywhere, including Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, YouTube...also check out their Instagram: @panchiko_deathmetal
And with that, I’ll pass it back over before I yap about Panchiko for another three hours… Take it away, Midwest Sweetheart! 😼
Panchiko also went on tour with 4 other bands including: Dead Calm, flyingfish, Rehash, Sundots, and CLARION. Now at first glance you might not think you know these bands but let me put you on really quick. Dead Calm blew up recently with their song Bleed, you’ve definitely heard of it, go look it up and come back to me, my personal favorite of theirs is called Jemma off the same album. They accompanied them on their first three shows in Texas, but don’t worry, if you missed them, they’ll be rejoining them on their last leg in Arizona and California. Flyingfish most famously known for their song Wonder If U Care, with over 95 million streams, was on their first three shows in Texas. Rehash was opening in Floridia, Georgia and both Carolinas, my personal favorite song of theirs is Mourning Star so go check it out if you have time, with their most popular song being Back To Strangers at over 13 million streams.
The opener we got here in Chicago was none other than the amazing Sundots! I had the pleasure of talking to the guys after the show at their merch table and they’re super nice and love what they do. Pictured from left to right are the band members: Nick Restivo (drummer), Drew (Lead Vocalist), Teo (Synth and Guitar), Austin (Bass), and Jake (Guitar). Sundots is an upcoming indie Band from Connecticut with their two most popular songs being window and small both having over 60 million streams on Spotify alone.
During their set they played some of their newer songs including Hurt Me, Green, and other unreleased songs. For first time listeners they had said their favorites were this time and this life. Every time you go to concerts my advice to you is go early and explore the openers, you will never be let down. This was my first time hearing them live, and I will say they did not miss; each song was so good, and they had great stage presence! Shout out to the guy next to me named Simon, thank you for helping me record their set. If you like bands like Horse Jumper of Love and Alex G, I guarantee Sundots is for you. You just know I can't leave a concert empty handed, so I picked up the Vinyl of their 2024 album Honeyspot and the room CD, both great in my opinion but then again, my favorite colors are orange and yellow.
So, if you missed them in concert, their merch table or just want to be niche indie underground, I’ll leave their Bandcamp link here go give them a follow, their Instagram is also @sundots so you can show off to everyone that you knew them first. Sundots has a new album coming out in late summer so be on the lookout!
All in all, if you get the chance to see either Panchiko or Sundots live we 100% recommend you do it! We would once again would like to thank Panchiko + Sundots management for making this possible and giving us an opportunity to do what we love...
This is Radio Rebel and Midwest Sweetheart signing off!
Psst! check us out on Instagram! @radiorebel.music + @midwest_sweetheartfm
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