Panchiko’s Dreamy Soundscape at Paper Tiger

Desarey Elizondo Lopez 

Music Journalist 

The flashing neon lights and sound of distortion and singing rang through Paper Tiger as shoegaze and dream pop fans gathered around the stage to witness the show of a lifetime. The crowd, sweaty from the opener, ramped up the energy as they prepared to hear the dreamy and hazy sounds of Panchiko for the rest of the night. 

Panchiko is a group from Nottingham, United Kingdom, and consist of vocalist Owain Davies, bassist Shaun Ferreday, Keyboardist Andrew Wright, guitarist Robert Harris, and drummer John Schofield. They gain their unique sound by using aspects of shoegaze, dream pop, and electronica, which sounds amazing both in person and online. I’ve had the privilege of seeing both Trauma Ray and Panchiko live at Levitation last year, but seeing them together in a different venue brought an entirely different experience. 

I arrived at the venue right when doors opened at six, only to see the line to the sold out show spanning across the entire block. I was fortunately able to secure a spot in the middle of the venue, which was very quickly becoming crowded as more concertgoers crammed in.  

Opening for the night was Fort Worth shoegaze band Trauma Ray. I found myself entranced by their iconic green lighting and the buzzing energy as the band got on stage to set up. As soon as they began playing, the energy of the crowd exploded, and I found myself in the moshpit being tossed around alongside other Trauma Ray fans. From the get go, the band hypnotized the crowd with their fuzzy and distorted sound, and they controlled the energy of the crowd by transitioning from high energy songs to slower, more mellow songs. They finally ended the set with one of their more popular songs, “Blend”, where the crowd shoved and jumped, and concertgoers began to crowdsurf. Once their set had ended, water bottles were passed around between sets to ensure everyone stayed hydrated. 

As soon as Panchiko got on stage, the energy of the crowd grew as we waited in anticipation for the first chords to ring. They let the feedback play for a bit, letting the tension between them and the crowd grow before starting the night off strong with “Stabilizers for Big Boys” from their album D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L, and then calming things down with “Stuck”. As they continued playing, their sound bounced between softer and acoustic to more electronic and upbeat, which can be heard in their latest album, Gingko. The energy finally reached its peak when they played “Kicking Cars”, ending the night off with a melancholic and bittersweet mood. The crowd, including myself, sang its hearts out the entire set, and overall they had me captivated the entire night. 

At the end of it all, I was also fortunate enough to be able to meet Trauma Ray at their merch table by the doors of the venue. They signed my CD and we had a brief conversation before they sent me on my way. I believe that interaction at the end was the cherry on top and the perfect way to end the memorable night. Each band brought a unique and diverse sound to the show and I’m overall very excited to see what more they’ll bring in the future. Through all the chaos and noise, the soundscape heard from both bands made for a very energetic and dreamy night to remember.