Panchiko’s Origins, Band Reunions and the Power of the Internet
On October 2nd, Panchiko made a pit stop at Cannery Hall on their Fall 2025 Tour. From an external perspective: a seemingly normal concert, a well-established indie rock band. But, for chronically online music fans like me, this was a homecoming decades in the making—all thanks to the power of the Internet.
For fifteen years, Panchiko stuck to the archetypal path of a teenage garage rock band:
- Have fun.
2. Play local gigs.
3. The real world comes crashing down, and the members go their separate ways.
However, this trajectory began to shift on July 21st, 2016. An anonymous 4chan uploaded a picture of a Panchiko CD, wanting to find out more about a band with seemingly no online presence. This sparked a four-year manhunt. On January 20, 2020, a fan found lead singer Owain Davies’ Facebook page and messaged him, asking if he was the lead singer of Panchiko.
I asked Davies his initial thoughts on this DM, and he recalled thinking “that’s a name I haven’t heard in a while.” He’d then told bandmates Andy and Shaun, “type Panchiko into the internet.”
Bassist Shaun Ferreday described their reunion fondly: “It’s very nice. We get to go around, have a nice time now playing shows.” Since their 2020 reunion, they have released three other albums: Ferric Oxide (Demos 1997-2001) [2020], Failed at Math(s) [2023] and Ginkgo [2025]. In addition, they have embarked on numerous tours within the past three years.
As uniquely miraculous as this return may be––they were previously unknown and disbanded for almost twenty years––they are not the only band to have been Internet-resurfaced and reunited. The band Hot Freaks had been broken up for approximately eight years when their song “Puppy Princess” went viral on Tik Tok. They too reformed, released new music and began touring. In the digital age, so many bands previously lost to time can now be second chanced.
On stage, Panchiko delivered dynamic performances of both new releases and revitalized renditions of their older material. They also made an active effort to interact with their audience both during and after their set, the three original members of the band greeting fans & signing tour merchandise. When asked about Nashville, Wright responded “This is so fun! Like everywhere we go there’s just someone whacking drums or something. It’s amazing.”
Panchiko’s performance drew on nerd, loser and internet culture––as does their discography––and featured visuals from various anime, cartoons and alternative bands from the 80s–early 2000s. These extramusical aspects of the concert enhanced their performance, reflecting the band’s interests and inspirations both growing up and currently. Their striking visuals, eagerness to perform with care and unique origin story made the concert experience uniquely intimate. Thank you, 4chan anon.
(Setlist: “Stabilizers For Big Boys”, “Stuck”, “Ginkgo”, “CUT”, “No. 8”, “Mac’s Omlette”, “Gwen Everest”, “Lifestyle Trainers”, “NeilSSong”, “Untitled Demo 1997”, “Until I Know”, “D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L”, “Laputa”, “All They Wanted”, “Kicking Cars”)
