Friday night in early December, The Great Hall welcomed Cardiff’s very own Panic Shack to play the biggest hometown show of their careers yet. Comprising Sarah Harvey (lead vocals), Meg Fretwell (guitar and backing vocals), Romi Lawrence (guitar and backing vocals), Emily Smith (bass) and touring drummer Nick Doherty-Williams, Panic Shack has been busy evolving punk in the modern music scene. Known for their fun ferocity, as they rise through the alternative music scene, they bring along with them a refreshing new sound that is equally as empowering as it is addictive.
Since forming in 2018, the Cardiff band have conquered Swn Festival, Reading and Leeds Festival, In It Together festival, and of course, their Glastonbury debut in 2023 on the Truth Stage. Their punchy feminist anthems ignite a liveliness in their crowd of dedicated fans. Dressed in Panic Shack merchandise with every colour of hair in the rainbow, the crowd did not stand still for a single strum.
Bringing humour to deeper topics, Panic Shack offers a progressive stance against the misogynistic hate they receive. Whether you like or dislike their music, you cannot deny that they are masters of their own vision. They seem to know just what they want to say, and they aren’t afraid to say it however they like.
Best known for their track “Girl Band Starter Pack”, the band has curated such an intensely loyal fanbase that the concert felt like it had its own community. As a frequent concertgoer, standing next to a group of grandads with their teenage daughters, it was poignant to me how many different age groups came together with equal passion for the same music. Being from South Wales myself, it was similarly touching to hear Welsh accents through the speakers for once, shining through each syllable; it was clear they were proud to call Cardiff their home.
The type of band that is impossible to see live and not leave as a fan.
Panic Shack, to me, is the type of band that is impossible to see live and not leave as a fan. The point of no return for me was “Thelma & Louise”, their third song of the night, which can be described as a love song to the band and their friendship and love for one another. So unapologetically themselves, each member shines their own personality through witty delivery and impressively self-aware lyrics that you just can’t help but laugh along to.
If you’re on the search for a new punk band to listen to, Panic Shack really is the one to watch.
