The Panics: Live at Music 4 Studios
Words by Lou Macleod
The Panics come from A Land Down Under. Legends in their homeland and counting the Kings of Leon as part of their legion of notable admirers, you can only blame Geography for why they’re not yet legends over here.
As part of an extensive tour around the UK to promote their award winning album Cruel Guards, they played an intimate show case, with hardly enough room to swing a koala bear, at Music 4 studios. The set was mesmerizing.
The antipodean five-piece created a perfect balance of sound; dense, rich and textured, sweeping and big, almost encapsulating their immense native soil, mixed with beautiful guitar solos and thought provoking, clever, meaningful and sometimes dark lyrics. Jae Laffers’ lead vocals are a blend of Peter Bjorn And John’s Young Folks and a soft Steve Earl-esque drawl; delicate and emotive.
They opened with Something in the Garden, which has a mystical, pistols at dawn vibe, and a telling introduction to their unique, complex sound and crafted words. Next was Ruins, a bitter sweet break up song, lyrically reminiscent of Bob Dylans’ It Ain’t Me Babe. The comparisons with Dylan don’t end there, either, as The Panics’ expressive storytelling ability is similarly poetic. Creaks followed, evoking commanding and beautiful imagery; ‘I have closed your door, I’ve marked out the creaks in the floor’ about leaving a lover while they sleep, without making a sound.
The Panics stage presence is captivating and you are conscious that you’re watching a band 7 years and three albums down the line, as there is a real succinct energy, harmony and connectivity in their movements and playing. These are five prodigiously gifted musicians.
Title track Cruel Guards was the darkest song of the set, almost a spiritual dirge, yet weirdly uplifting in its identification and mutual understanding of sadness, like a protest song. The penultimate tune was their debut single in the UK (getting massive airplay on Xfm) - Don’t Fight It, an empowering sentiment, with stirring gospel organs, evocative of the moving emotion in The Beatles’ Let It Be.
They finished all too soon with Get us Home, an epic song with rolling beautiful strings. Jae Laffer describes its sound like ‘a bunch of us riding over a hill into a dusty town…’
The response of the crowd at the end was rapturous but alas, no encore as they left everyone there wanting more.
So, go see The Panics before they go back half way round the world to a hill near a dusty town, and if you don’t get the chance…travel half way round the world to see this astounding band, it will be absolutely worth it.
Posted Fri, April 24, 2009
Comments on The Panics: Live at Music 4 Studios
Sweet. I’ve liked them since I heard their last album in Australia. Tryin to get a ticket for their support tour with Paulo
Posted by: Neil | 24/04/2009 at 15:16
Smashing review! its just a pity i missed them play water rats on wednesday :( x
Posted by: Tom Scott | 24/04/2009 at 15:32
good band. heard them on the radio recently. need to see them live soon…
Posted by: Benny | 24/04/2009 at 17:05
Great review!! Definitely want to go see them!
Posted by: Jack | 25/04/2009 at 11:14