Panic Shack, Yes Basement. 9th February 2023

I’ve said this before but it bears repeating. If you can, get in the gig early, you may catch something amazing. With that in mind, Shelf Lives play brutal bouncy industrial punk pop. Striped to the waist with buzz guitars and more energy than is safe on Yes’ Basement stage, they sound amazing.  There’s only two of them and much of the sound is coming from a backing track that usually I’d take issue with, but they are so fantastic I really don’t care. Every song is a juggernaut, with bass that will shatter your teeth as you smile like a lunatic. They really don’t need the cover of Hole’s ‘Violet’, but that is brilliant too. Get in early, you might find your new favourite band.

The gauntlet is down, but Panic Shack have it covered. They’re just as ferocious. Sharp punky guitars and razor sharp lyrics, about aversions to holding babies and being shushed. They bloody good fun too, throwing frozen poses during ‘Mannequin Man’ and machine gunning the crowd with guitars. They’re clearly having a blast and so are we! ‘Jiu Jits You’ is a spikey little monster. I wouldn’t mess with them, they’re hard as nails, Emily on bass has had root canal work done an hour ago. If that’s not dedication! “Are you out of your mind, what the hell are you doing here‽” screams singer Sarah, we’re all going nuts that’s what! ‘The Ick’ is like Art Brut dialled up to eleventy stupid and it’s as great as that sounds. ‘Meal Deal’ adds a dose of Amyl and the Sniffers and ‘Cash Piggy’ goes full RATM!! By the time we get to ‘Who’s Got My Lighter’ I’m knackered and almost thankful for a breather, before they decide we’re not done and tear into Electric Six’s ‘Gay Bar’. Bands shouldn’t be this tight and this brilliant on their first headline tour. Stunning.