They Are Gutting a Body of Water
I’m honestly not sure what I was expecting from a band with a name like this. Even having listened to some of their material prior to the show, I was still surprised at their live performance.
To start, each member solemnly walked on stage and began to tune their instruments. There was no crowd acknowledgment, and to top it all off, the singer had his back turned to the audience throughout the entire performance. Each one of the 4 band members was facing each other, meaning the drummer was the only person who we got a proper glimpse of. I feel that he acted as a frontman, as he had an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm in his playing. His facial expressions and strength were enough to keep the audience engaged if they weren’t already.
Before getting into their first song, the singer graced us with some house beats off of his sample pad. As the electronic music faded out, the band exploded into a wall of heavy noise.
I could best describe their music as if My Bloody Valentine tried to make a soundtrack for an old Nintendo 64 game. It seems kind of out there but listen to a TAGABOW song like “Behind The Waterfall,” and you’ll understand exactly what I’m talking about. The vocals are very reminiscent of Kevin Shields’s in the way that they’re treated as just an instrument; undecipherable and buried in the mix. On top of the heavy shoegaze guitars, they often incorporate retro-sounding ambient samples.
Between each song in their set, we got more electronic music interludes that would seamlessly blend back into the band playing. These interludes ranged from traditional EDM to Aphex Twin-esque experimental sounds. I don’t think many in the crowd had any idea what they were witnessing but the music nonetheless was well received.
Tagabow’s shtick seems like it would translate better to a sweaty basement venue as opposed to a bigger stage such as La Tulipe. I’d definitely be interested in witnessing that and will do my best to catch them next time they’re in town!
Panchiko
The story of Panchiko is truly unique. This group was formed during the late 90s in Nottingham but disbanded shortly afterward and remained unknown for a number of years. That all changed in 2016 when their 2000 demo EP D>E>a>T>H>M>E>T>a>L was discovered by a 4chan user in a charity shop. This “lost media” gained a cult following and moved fans to track down its makers. In 2020, lead singer Owain Davies was found and contacted by a fan through Facebook. The rest is history. Since then, Panchiko has released more demos from their early days and a newly recorded studio album. We now find the band on tour in North America and playing a show in Montreal for the first time!
Because this band primarily gained traction through Internet forums, their fanbase is mostly comprised of young people. It was quite interesting to hear crowds of teenage girls passionately screaming for a group of older men. It felt almost as if Panchiko had never disappeared and were still in the early days of their career.
You could tell that all this was very new and surreal to the band members; they were all so excited to be on stage. However, they didn’t come off as rookies. Their live performance was laboured over and exhibited a level of professionalism comparable to bands with decades more experience.
The setlist was masterfully crafted and included fresh interpretations of songs from their beloved debut, fleshed-out reworks of unfinished demos, and unreleased tracks. Not one of the songs they performed was exactly identical to its studio counterpart. Much of their material tends to be more subdued and relies heavily on sampling, yet all these songs translated very well to a rock band setting. For example, “Failed at Math(s)” is a cut from their new studio album that’s founded on a glittery synth line with dreamy vocals layered on top. However, the live version didn’t include any synth and was fully adapted to guitars. The upbeat energy this added was exactly what the song needed to prevent a lull and fully engage the audience.
The band further showed their ability to rock during moments like “Gwen Everest,” a shoegaze-y track that was reworked for their new album. This song seems to be a fan favourite, as it saw the most movement from the crowd and the biggest sing-along of the night.
Lead singer Owain took the mic towards the end of the set to sincerely thank their fans for rediscovering them and bringing them to where they are today. He motivated the audience to follow their dreams and create art for the world, even if it takes 25 years for it to be discovered. This speech was the perfect lead-up to the song that propelled them into fame, “D>E>a>T>H>M>E>T>a>L”.
Panchiko closed their set with “Kicking Cars,” an emotional tune that has some of Owain’s most emotional vocals. It was astounding to me how, over 20 years later, his voice still sounds as youthful as it did at the time of their debut.
This song also saw the most grand outro of the night. The band members were firing on all cylinders and blew everyone away.
Despite being dormant for many years, it felt as if this group of talented musicians never stopped playing together.
I’m extremely intrigued to see where they decide to take their career from this point. Keep an eye on Panchiko; they’re just getting started!
Review – Michael Anestopoulos
Photos – David Machado
