Panic Shack’s “We’re Gonna Do It Anyway!” Tour

Action! Presents 
Panic Shack’s “We’re Gonna Do It Anyway!” Tour
+ Special Guests
If there's one thing Panic Shack know, it's how to have a good time. Comprised of Sarah
Harvey (vocals), Meg Fretwell (guitar/backing vocals), Romi Lawrence (guitar/backing vocals),
Em Smith (bass/backing vocals) and Nick Williams (drums), the band formed in 2018 as a
middle-finger to the “members-only club” atmosphere of indie and punk scenes – not just
because they’re male-dominated, but because they make playing music seem out of reach or,
even worse, boring. “Boys make it look so hard,” Em says, rolling her eyes. “Whenever I see
someone on the floor fiddling with their pedals with a face like a slapped arse I think, you're
making this look so unattainable and it’s actually so fucking easy.”
This carefree approach gives Panic Shack’s music the same effect as popping a bottle of
Prosecco – explosive, intoxicating, and delightfully chaotic. With barely any music available
online, they built a word-of-mouth following off the back of their live shows, which have been
praised for fusing “thrashy early LA-style punk with choreography that owes something to the
Go-Go’s and Iron Maiden all at once” (The Guardian). That quickly snowballed into tours with
the likes of Bob Vylan and Soft Play, and festival appearances at Glastonbury, Reading &
Leeds, Green Man, End of the Road, SXSW and more. Released in 2022, their acclaimed
Baby Shack EP bottled the lightning they have on stage, cementing their ability to blend killer
hooks with a contagious sense of humour. The first vinyl pressing – splattered pink, obviously –
sold out almost instantly.
To be released in July, Panic Shack’s self-titled debut album represents a serious level up.
Linking up with producer Ali Chant (PJ Harvey, Perfume Genius, Yard Act), it finds the band
expanding their gutsy punk sound into fuller territory, packed with vocal harmonies, synths,
electronic experimentation, and even a trumpet at one point.
Over 11 breakneck tracks, Panic Shack never lets up or loses momentum. It opens with the
rising sound of chatter, glass clinking and laughter, most of which was recorded in the beer
garden at an Amyl & the Sniffers gig. Fizzing with the anticipation of walking into a club at the
start of a night out, it feels like party-punk’s answer to the intro of Spice Girls’ ‘Wannabe’. From
there, the bouncy bass line and blistering guitars of ‘Girl Band Starter Band’ kick in, and the
band pulls you into their world the way a friend would grab your hand and drag you onto the
dancefloor. “Four iced lattes / Sit outside / Smoke a rolly / Sun is shining / People watching /
Things are moving / Got us talking...” Sarah chants, the pace ramping up like a heartbeat
beginning to race.
Across the album, the lyrics are conversational, often stemming from in-jokes, while the subject
matter spans the full range of the feminine experience. Whether it’s everyday stuff like browsing
Hinge (‘Unhinged’) and remembering everything you need to stick in your bag because your
dress has no pockets (‘Pockets’), or broader societal issues like the impact of toxic tabloid
culture on body image (‘Gok Wan’) and sexual harassment (‘SMELLARAT’), no topic is too
frivolous or too vast. There’s no point-scoring or political commentary to be made here, though.
The songs spring naturally from the way they live their lives, which is, more often than not, with
a great deal of enjoyment.

Irresistible because of their simplicity and charming because of their familiarity, Panic Shack are
the answer to a question that, quite frankly, isn’t asked often enough: what if the funniest girls
you know started a band? The sonic equivalent to a coming-of-age film unfolding over a single
night, Panic Shack takes the shape of a bender, beginning by approaching a bar and ending
with an impassioned speech at sunrise about how much you love your friends. Swerving the
expected topics of sex and romance, the entire album revolves around the ionic bond between
the four girls.
“This band has taken us on the most mental journey that nobody else will fully understand,”
says Meg. It’s only right, then, that their debut marks a celebration of that as much as it does the
start of a new journey entirely. “We've always wanted people to come in and be part of our
world, and this album is every part of who Panic Shack are. The party side, the angry side... It’s
a story about us, really,” Sarah explains. “That’s why we named it after the band. We can't help
but be ourselves.”