I saw the Panics on Friday night and love love loved it.

I’ve been a fan since picking up a copy of their current album, Cruel Guards. It’s been playing non-stop on my iPod and is my record of choice when I’m driving in the car so I was really happy to be covering this gig.

The band were clearly stoked at their newfound popularity, repeatedly thanking the crowd for coming out and saying how chuffed they were at the sheer number of us coming to see them.

Even though I love their album I wasn’t sure whether that would translate to a great live performance, as their music is quite laidback and mellow. I was proved wrong – their live sound is so much better than what they are on record. The music was rich and layered and the warm and fuzzy vibes bouncing all over the place translated to a great set. For me, Cruel Guards was the highlight of the night, and of course their epic (and rightly so) hit Don’t Fight It. Their lovely songs surrounded me like a big warm hug on a cold winter night.

Fantastic.

More photos taken by me here.