I’m usually in attendance at MASH on the odd Friday, or for an occasional gay night – but never for anything with an energy quite like Panic Shack’s. With the likes of Lambrini Girls, Amyl and the Sniffers and HotWax releasing new albums earlier this year, it seems like my era of solely listening to angry, feminist punk may be returning, this time righteously blasting through my headphones in libraries.

All about raw, no-nonsense snaps of scathing humour and ferocious guitar solos, the Cardiff four-piece greeted Cambridge with sweat and sound. Their set was high powered and relentless. Striding onto the stage, the band were clad in rhinestone baseball caps and shirts screaming out slogans like “Industry Plant” and “Wet”. Shortly after a few grins and waves, they proceeded to rapidly launch into a high-speed performance of swaggering riffs and heavy, exposed basslines.

“High-speed performance of swaggering riffs and heavy, exposed basslines”

Panic Shack’s banter with the crowd was some of the best (and most absurd) I’d ever heard – including a woeful plea from bassist Emily Smith for her stolen bundle of hair extensions (give it back), a musical recount of a resuscitation they’d witnessed on the way up to Nottingham, and interspersed, increasingly enthusiastic on-stage advertisements for merch. They were selling ever-so-fashionable lanyards, which gave the fans early download access to the new album. Halfway through the gig, front woman Sarah Harvey stalked out into the audience à la Phoebe Lunny, with everyone moshing around her. She commanded the crowd with a mad rendition of the band’s song ‘I Don’t Really Like it’, stupidly mixed into a cover of The Ting Tings’ ‘That’s Not My Name’ – swirling pints onto the already sticky floors of MASH.

Played from their new album, the single ‘Gok Wan’ deals with the endless rubbish of diet culture, channelled with the spirit of 90s riot grrl cadences. A jagged, strong bass line propels Harvey’s vocals from shouts into snide sarcasms of “wanna be the smallest girl that ever lived,” before winding up into a wailing guitar solo. It’s a visceral, high-powered punch to the conformity that the media presses to dizzying beauty standards, and the expectations for women to be constantly ‘glowing up’ and improving themselves.

“A visceral, high-powered punch to the conformity that the media presses to dizzying beauty standards”

Finishing off with their certified classic ‘The Ick’ (which went triple platinum in my room back in 2022), the band looped back around to one of their first singles to drive the final nail into their lively set. The song presents a relatable rant of ridiculous turn offs with series of shockers from a man who has simply put Harvey off (“mate”). The crazed repeated line of “you shushed me in the cinema!” never fails to make me grin, and hearing it live proved that it’s certainly a fan favourite.

But honestly, I had some reservations about seeing this band live. In no way to do with Panic Shack’s performance itself – I very nearly intended this to be a complete exploration (diss!) of the Radio 6 Dad archetype, predicting that they’d fill up the gig in the place of women and students. And they did almost entirely. Which led to my friends and I ranting as we left the gig. But seeing as they’re the ones funding bands record and merch sales, where us students are lacking in cash, I just can’t summon up the energy (hatred!) to make the case against them just yet.

It must be said though, there really should have been more students in that crowd. The band span through their set list in 45 minutes flat, in a non-stop whirlwind of unapologetic, sharp punk. You can be back in the library, or into bed by half 9, students of Cambridge. But there’s certainly a special kind of manic feeling set up by the sound of an audience of fifty-something bald heads chanting “vape, phone, keys, lipgloss” that one cannot entirely put into words. But I think stupidly hilarious might just do it.

Panic Shack’s self-titled debut album is out on July 18th, and be sure to catch them again in Cambridge, on October 11th at Shiny New Model Festival at Junction.