Yellow Arch feels made for nights like this; a fine spring day and a courtyard full of anticipation as people wait to fill the main room and watch bands on the up and ready to deliver a frenetic evening of music.
First up, The Pill in support. This duo from the Isle of White brought a confident, energetic set cut through with abundant wit and charisma. The guitar, bass and drums combined into a driving, aggressive wall of sound that is the hallmark of good punk music, while the two sets of vocals alternately came to the fore and combined, showcasing some great melodies and interplay. Irreverent lyrics cast a wry look at issues in modern life: from a hatred of mullets to stereotypes about women drivers, and from avoiding therapy to disturbing celebrity dating habits. A testament to The Pill’s winning stage presence and rapport with the crows was the fact no-one was remotely bothered about some forgotten lyrics near the end of the set. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on, perhaps starting with their debut EP out on 22 May.
Thoroughly warmed up, the crowd was ready for Panic Shack, who launched straight into the powerful recent single, ‘Gok Wan’, a real statement of intent from the Welsh 5-piece. ‘Baby’ then showed off Sarah Harvey’s ability as a frontperson, taking charge of the stage and drawing the crowd into the performance throughout the set. Some great vocal harmonies were then shown off on ‘Mannequin Man’, with the tune accompanied by some striking synchronised dance moves.
The crowd was chock-full of bouncing people during the next tune, ‘Girl Band Starter Pack’, a hedonistic track with Meg Fretwell’s and Romi Lawrence’s angular guitars melding together to keep the sound moving throughout. Building on that energy, ‘Jiu Jits You’ got people moving right from the opening notes of Emily Smith’s bouncy bass line before later transitioning into an angular guitar solo and an outro that led to plenty of fists in the air punctuating the shouts that bring the song to a close.
Nick Doherty-Williams’s drumming really drove the next track ‘Meal Deal’ which had a relentless energy and wouldn’t feel out of place in an Amyl and The Sniffers set. This was interspersed with some distorted bass and with a great interplay with the guitars. A slightly reworked version of ‘I Don’t Really Like It’ turned it into a full on indie disco style banger that must have got even the most dance averse person moving.
A few new tracks were sprinkled throughout the set, from the upcoming self-titled album due out on 18 July. The standout of these was started with a hungover voice note sent by Harvey to the others and builds into a frenetic track that resulted in the biggest mosh pit of the night. ‘Who’s Got My Lighter’ ended the main set, their debut single retaining its power with its relentless drive and the band gradually ratcheting up the intensity and driving the crowd into a frenzy.
A short pause to allow people to catch their breath before the encore. Upcoming single ‘Pockets’, about the lack of pockets on women’s clothing, featured a punchy sing along of items to check for before heading out for the night; likely to become a crowd favourite. Closing track ‘The Ick’ really summed up what Panic Shack are about, with great energy, jagged riffs and Harvey’s powerful vocal delivery. You could almost fell the disdain dripping from each word describing what gave the ick.
Overall, a night of energetic, danceable punk with two bands that wear their hearts on their sleeves and aren’t afraid to highlight issues. This does not stop them from having fun and sharing that with the crowd through their vibrant performances. Great fun from start to finish.
