Panchiko, the band a charity-shop CD brought back, books Iron City for April 15

The Nottingham group's first Birmingham date in our coverage comes with LA noise-gaze duo Clarion, who also guest on the newly announced album Chimera.

Most bands find their audience by playing shows. Panchiko found theirs through a warped CD in a Nottingham Oxfam shop. Next spring, that unlikely story gets to Birmingham: Panchiko announced on Nov. 2 that they'll play Iron City on Thursday, April 15, 2027, at 8 p.m., with Clarion opening. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster.

If you haven't heard the story, here's the short version. Panchiko formed in Nottingham in the 1990s and self-released an EP called *D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L* in 2000. Then they went quiet. In 2016, someone posted a photo of a demo CD they'd found at an Oxfam charity store in Nottingham to 4chan's /mu/ board, and the internet set out to track down the band behind it, as Stereogum has recounted. The band eventually reunited, and the story kept going after that.

Since then, Panchiko have been making new music. They self-released *Failed at Math(s)* in May 2023, then put out *Ginkgo* in April 2025 on Nettwerk, their first proper label release, per twntythree. On Oct. 23 they announced their next album, Chimera, with guests including billy woods, Mei Semones and Clarion, per Stereogum and The Line of Best Fit. Founders Owain Davies and Andy Wright now tour as a five-piece with guitarist Robert Harris, bassist Shaun Ferreday and drummer John Schofield.

Most bands find their audience by playing shows. Panchiko found theirs through a warped CD in a Nottingham Oxfam shop.

The opener matters here. Clarion, the Los Angeles shoegaze duo, opened Panchiko's spring 2026 dates and appear on *Chimera*, so this is less a random support slot than a working partnership. Their EP *Blue Fairy* has been described as a harsh, abrasive mix of shoegaze, post-punk and noise-rock, per Just Listen To This. Get there early.

Why Iron City? At 1,300 capacity, it's one of Birmingham's best rooms for a band at this point in their run: big enough to show how far an internet cult has grown, and still a standing-room club where the hazy guitars hit you in the chest instead of drifting off toward the rafters. It's also a Thursday, which makes a midweek road trip from Huntsville, Tuscaloosa or Atlanta realistic.

When to buy? Panchiko's audience runs young and online, and a new album announcement tends to send a wave of fans to the ticket page. If *Chimera* lands before April, demand will probably go up, not down. Buy now if you're sure.

Twenty-some years ago, this music sat on a CD in a charity shop waiting for someone to find it. On April 15, it gets a full room in Birmingham.

Sources: Panchiko tickets, Iron City (Ticketmaster) (ticketmaster.evyy.net); Panchiko announce new album Chimera feat. billy woods, Mei Semones, Clarion & more (Stereogum) (stereogum.com); billy woods, Mei Semones, Clarion among guests on new Panchiko album (The Line of Best Fit) (thelineofbestfit.com); Rediscovered '90s band Panchiko announce new album Ginkgo (Stereogum) (stereogum.com); Panchiko announce new album with 'Ginkgo', out April 4 via Nettwerk (twntythree) (twntythree.com); Panchiko, Dead Calm, Clarion live event (Ckord) (app.ckord.com); LA shoegaze duo Clarion announce first UK & Irish dates (Just Listen To This) (justlistentothis.co.uk); Panchiko at the House of Blues 5/7/26 (UCLA Radio) (uclaradio.com)