Fate works in mysterious ways.
The sound of British band Panchiko was lost for years until it fell into the hands of the internet, simply by chance.
In 2016, an individual had discovered their first collection of demos titled “D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L” while sifting through a section of forgotten CDs in a charity shop in Nottingham, England. The cover featured artwork taken from a panel of a Japanese manga series. The few liner notes listed only the band members’ first names, creating a shroud of mystery.
The person, an anonymous user on the platform 4chan, uploaded the disc-rot riddled album to the internet, and listeners became both enamoured with the music and entranced by the mystery of the whole situation. The album slowly developed a cult following, with people searching for any information about the band across all corners of the internet.
Panchiko was an enigma.
At the risk of sounding like your Spotify daylist, “D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L” can be characterized as a medley of electronic-tinged indie rock with layers of shoegaze in between sci-fi samples and desperate vocals. Its soundscape is reminiscent of melodies from the late 1990s and early 2000s, evoking feelings of nostalgia.
Considering the era in which the album was released, a period defined by electronic-rock fusions that would eventually take over mainstream music, the band was certainly ahead of its time.
At the time of the band’s conception in 1997, childhood friends Owain Davies, Andy Wright, Shaun Ferreday and John Schofield initially performed in bars despite being underage.
The group was inspired by the expanding Britpop scene and bands like Nirvana, Blur, Super Furry Animals, New Order and Suede.
They self-recorded and produced the demos that eventually would make up “D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L” between 1999 and 2000.
From these demos, the band burned approximately 30 CD’s, distributed among friends, with a few sent to reviewers and labels, but to no avail. The group ultimately disbanded, leaving behind their teenage dreams of making music. The members went on to pursue other non-musical opportunities as the memory of the band faded away.
Eventually, the internet's best detectives were able to track down Davies, messaging him on Facebook. Baffled that they suddenly had fans yearning for their bygone band, Davies reconnected with his old bandmates and began uploading more of their older demos to Bandcamp.
The momentum built up and eventually the band reformed in 2021, 20 years after their dissolution. The dream they had given up on was suddenly a reality, one they welcomed with open arms.
On Sept. 26, my friends and I drove up to the concert venue Higher Ground in Burlington, excited at the prospect of witnessing a band live after a solely online existence of close to 16 years. Watching from within the mass of people shoved into the venue, I was overcome with pure admiration for Panchiko; these were people who truly deserved their flowers. They had given up on a dream they thought was never possible for them, and now here they were, playing for a crowd buzzing with anticipation and elation.
For any other band, this show would be business as usual, but for Panchiko this was so much more. I could feel the appreciation and connection between the audience and the band as Davies sang, backlit in swirling blue and green lights.
When the song “D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L” played, I stood basking in the glory of how incredible it was to witness this moment. I could feel the tears prickling my eyes as I was overcome by the beauty of it all.
My friend Myrah Valmyr ’27 described the transformative experience of watching the show. “I felt like I was the first person to listen to music, ever. For an artist to be able to captivate that feeling, put it in a box and give it to all their listeners, is incredible,” she said.
Their newest album, “Ginko,” released in May of 2025. It’s a formidable follow-up to their legacy of music. Compared to their post “D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L” releases, which didn’t quite sustain the same level of alluring charm, “Ginko” feels like Panchiko back to their best.
The album boasts similarities to Radiohead’s 2007 album “In Rainbows” (one of my favorites) in the way that it weaves rock and electronic textures into lush, atmospheric sounds. “Ginko” thrives on contrasts, shifting from quiet passages into blossoms of glitchy electronics and punctuated rhythms that carry the listener along on a 39-minute journey.
Panchiko is an act that has lived longer online than it has in person. Nevertheless, the band sounds like they’ve never spent a moment apart, with all their components meshing together perfectly.
As the crowd filtered out, I marveled at the band’s ability to continue creating music and maintaining an atmosphere that hails back to their beginnings.
Norah Khan '27 (she/her) is an News Editor.
Norah has previously served as a Arts & Culture Editor. She is majoring in Political Science and English, with minor in Spanish. Outside of The Campus, she is involved with Matriculate as an Advising Fellow and the Conflict Transformation Collaborative as a Conflict Coaching Peer Facilitator.
