Panic Shack Set the Stage for Debut Album with Blazing New Single
Cardiff’s beloved punk quartet Panic Shack are turning up the volume on 2025 with the announcement of their long-awaited debut album, Panic Shack, landing July 18th via Brace Yourself Records. Alongside the announcement, the band have dropped a raucous new single, ‘Girl Band Starter Pack’, with a video that captures their tongue-in-cheek chaos in full force.
A Track That Starts the Party and Never Lets Go
‘Girl Band Starter Pack’ isn’t just an introduction — it’s an invitation. Built on a bassline that pulses like the heartbeat of a Friday night and punctuated by razor-sharp riffs, the single channels the kind of adrenaline rush only Panic Shack can deliver. Recorded in part with real-world snippets from an Amyl & the Sniffers gig, it’s punk with a pop-sensibility and just the right dose of mischief. Vocalist Sarah Harvey keeps it conversational with lines like “Four iced lattes / Sit outside / Smoke a rolly…” before the track detonates into something far rowdier.
The accompanying video, set loose on the streets of Cardiff, stars drag queens Jolene Dover, Lasagne Sheets, CiCi, and Bopa Rhys playing stand-in Shacks for the night. “They played us better than we play ourselves,” the band admits — and watching the four queens wreak fabulous havoc through Cardiff, it’s hard to argue.
The Album: More Than Just a Good Time
With production from Ali Chant (PJ Harvey, Yard Act), Panic Shack promises more than high-octane punk — it’s a record packed with melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, and even the odd trumpet. But don’t expect overwrought commentary. These songs emerge from real-life, whether it’s the frustration of a pocketless dress (‘Pockets’), app fatigue on ‘Unhinged’, or the deep-bonded love letter to friendship on album closer ‘Thelma & Louise’.
The LP follows last year’s fiery ‘Gok Wan’, a sharp-edged single tackling body image and 2000s tabloid toxicity, which earned the band BBC 6 Music playlisting and widespread praise.
The ‘Don’t Quit Your Day Job’ Tour
Those keen to catch Panic Shack’s explosive live show — once hailed by NME as “the wildest and funniest live band you’ll see all year” — should act fast. Their ‘Don’t Quit Your Day Job’ tour kicks off May 1st, with several dates already sold out.
Tour Dates:
May 1st | Nottingham – Bodega [sold out]
May 2nd | Cambridge – MASH
May 3rd | Norwich – Norwich Arts Centre [sold out]
May 6th | Brighton – Patterns [sold out]
May 8th | Birmingham – The Castle & Falcon
May 9th | Wrexham – FOCUS Wales
May 10th | Leeds – The Wardrobe
May 11th | Newcastle – Cluny
May 13th | Glasgow – King Tuts Wah Wah Hut [sold out]
May 14th | Sheffield – Yellow Arch Studios [sold out]
May 15th | Liverpool – Arts Club
May 16th | Manchester – Band on the Wall [sold out]
May 18th | Oxford – The Bullingdon
May 19th | Southampton – Papillon
May 20th | Milton Keynes – Craufurd Arms
May 22nd | Bristol – Thekla [sold out]
May 23rd | Port Talbot – In It Together Festival
May 25th | Newport – Corn Exchange
May 28th | London – The Garage
July 10th | Cheltenham – 2000 Trees Festival
July 18th | Portishead – Homestead Festival
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