Interview by Ashley Galvan
I hung out with Sarah Harvey and Meg Fretwell from Panic Shack, who are straight-up chaos on stage; goofy, a bit unhinged, but also tight as hell. They’ve got this way of making their audience feel like they can be whoever they want, wear whatever they want. No right or wrong, just go with whatever your heart’s on. In moments when there’s so much back-to-back, watching them go crazy live is like a breath of fresh air.
Thank you, guys, for showing up and glittering all over the world because you are beautiful. And I’ve heard nothing but great things, because you were in my city not too long ago. So, how does it feel to be home?
Sarah: Boring, but it’s great. It’s nice to have some home comforts, but it doesn’t beat some sunny Texas with some Medallas in our hands.
How was Southby for you? Was this your first Southby?
Meg: No, actually, we did it in 2023, but it just felt so much better this year. Before, we kind of came on our own, just us five, and this time we’ve like evolved enough to have a TM. We had our management and just a bunch of people we’ve known and built relationships with over however many years. It just felt good to have such a unit there and do like seven shows in five days. It was class.
It’s a beautiful thing because obviously during Southby it’s crazy chaotic, a bunch of back-to-back shows, but something that felt really aligned was that whenever I saw loved ones, I’d ask, “Any shows or bands that stuck out?” and I had three of them back-to-back say you guys. I even texted my friend Heather, the brand manager at Mohawk. I used to work there for like six years, so being venue side, you see a lot, and she was like, “Honestly, this was the band that stuck with me,” and mentioned how engaged the audience was, too. So, what do you remember from that set at Mohawk?
Sarah: I think that was the set we all kind of felt like, we’ve arrived. We all thought it was just a great venue and knew a lot of other great bands were playing there that week as well. And I think we just had a lot of fun. It was our first gig of the day. We had another one later that night. So, we knew we had to turn up, and we did. I’m glad that it showed that to other people as well.
Yeah, absolutely. Heather was sending me videos last night, like, “Look at this guy,” and it’s literally a guy doing the Macarena at the top of the stairs, just going off. I’m like, “Yes, this is exactly what we needed.” Especially as a breath of fresh air, bringing in spring and being iconic. Thank you again for spreading your joy at my second home, because in moments when there’s so much back-to-back, it really is like a breath of fresh air.
Sarah: That’s what we aim to do. Bring the sun.
I was so hyped because I felt like that meme, “I’m connecting the dots.” I was like, wait a minute, this is the band that a lot of my loved ones were talking about. You kind of get sprawled out, you know? So, was there anything during your downtime that you guys were having fun doing while you were here in Austin?
Sarah: We had a pool in our back garden, so we were enjoying that. That’s for sure. It’s sad to say it, but it is mostly we’re drinking margaritas, Medallas, Enchiladas, tacos, the usual.
Meg: Micheladas. They are game changer. We don’t have them at home.
Sarah: Yeah, they’re a rarity at home. So that was a treat.
I love that. It really made my week when I started connecting the dots and being fully in on it. I was literally like, “Yes, Eshna, I am down.” That thread of curiosity that’s been a theme in how you guys became what you are, even from being baddies to gagging the whole crowd at Mohawk and taking over. I really value that, because when you fuck around, you do find out. So, there’s this funny meme that says, “Don’t kill the part of you that makes you cringe, kill the part of you that cringes.” How do you embody that in your hero’s journey as musicians?
Sarah: That’s a literal motto, can I just say? How would you say it, Meg, because you had to learn the guitar and everything.
Meg: Yeah, I was actually deep in this earlier. I used to be really self-conscious like that about my guitar playing skills, whether I was as good as other people, other men. And then I just like, at the point I stopped giving a fuck, like everything just got way easier. And it’s really hard to get to that point. But yeah, I feel confident in what I do. I’m doing me, and I’m just doing it. So, I don’t know what I’m doing. And no, it’s not like fucking shredding guitar solos, but yeah, I don’t give a fuck.
Just the beauty of unapologetically showing up as yourself and doing what you want is really inspiring to females everywhere. Even with the Venn diagram of where we’re at with music and skating, what really resonates is taking a chance and being like, “Yo, I want to do this. I’m gravitated toward this. I don’t know why or where it’s taking me.” And then all of a sudden, people are hyped on you showing up and sharing your unique light, which is beautiful. So, I’m glad that you took that risk and followed that curiosity, because a lot of people don’t, and that’s the inspiring quality you guys bring outside of just the lyrics, the energy, and everything else.
Meg: It’s so nice to hear it summed up like that. That’s exactly how I feel about it. And I really love that it translates into a different industry.
Yeah, exactly. It echoes in communities, which is how we’re here together right now. Not only through people who love music, but also in skating. A lot of girls we uplift and who are part of our story either started from the beginning, or a loved one like Megan Shaffer, who started during the pandemic and is now hitting rails. You would have never guessed, but it’s that dedication and devotion. So, I’m glad that your hero’s journey doesn’t stop. And thank you for creating a song like “Delma and Louise,” which feels like a love letter to the female pillars in our lives, which is why I love it.
Meg: It looks so good. It looks, class.
I got really emotional while watching that music video cause this is silly [laughs], but you know what I mean? At the end of the day, this is the vibe that we bring with our girly pops. And then seeing that embodied in a music video and feeling that carefreeness, I’m like, this literally speaks to my heart. Especially when a theme last year for me was the importance of female relationships in our lives, cause I had a lot of loved ones in my family who are widows now, and now they’re just leaning in on those women. So, I feel like when I saw that, it was like, yes, this is it. What do female friendships give you that nothing else can?
Sarah: Oh, it’s everything, isn’t it? It truly feels like we know what it is to live as a girl. Like, some people will never understand that, and you don’t know how it feels to go to a sleepover, play on a dance mat, gossip, and play with each other’s hair. Like, it’s such basic things, but it’s also a community. Without each other, it would feel so, so different. I can’t even imagine being a solo artist when I think about what we have as a group, like it must be terrifying. It’s the best.
Meg: Yeah, agree. Fully agree. It would be scary. I’m so glad I’ve got these four to well these three girls to do it with and Nick, of course.
Something I was thinking about is the vibe of moments where you guys are just authentically showing up as yourselves, even if it’s a silly bit on social media, like doing your iconic dance. But when you translate that, what I received was you guys having the confidence to be silly and unhinged. It’s almost like sifting matcha, trying to get the good stuff through the filter. Whoever comes through is naturally magnetized to you. If they keep following the curiosity pattern, going down the Alice in Wonderland hole, they’ll find a treasure trove of wonder, and that’s the archive of your music. I thought that was really beautiful, being able to be unhinged together. It’s like the Venn diagram of skating. If I show up with my girls, I’m more of the hype girl, like, “Yes, you got that, bitch,” Or “What do you need? Do you need some water?” Because we’re eating shit together.
Meg: We all have our role you know.
Yes, we do hype each other up, and it’s such a vital point, but you’re also more susceptible to jumping off that set or doing something crazy you haven’t tried or learning something new if you’re together. So that’s like what I got from you guys, just being like cute as fuck and silly.
Sarah: On stage. I think there’s nothing that we wouldn’t like to do. We do dance routines, and I’ve fallen over on stage, and it’s like I don’t care. Like I always say, I feel unembarrassable at this point, but it’s just because why would I care? Like we’re having a laugh on stage, and people see the joy that we’re having and the laugh we’re having, and it’s kind of sets us apart, and even without that, it’s just what we are doing, and that’s the beauty of it as well.
Yeah, I love that. I feel like your people are going to be magnetized to you, regardless. And it was even giving that Alyssa Lou vibe, this is why people are magnetized to her too, because it’s about being you. Now that you guys come together, it’s like, yes, I can see how it all came together. Especially when you respectfully break the coworker bubble, you know what I mean? So how do you guys feel, going from working together at the time to now touring the world and soon to play in a castle?
Meg: Yeah. Yeah [laughs].
Sarah: Meg was friends with Emily and Romy, and I was just like a coworker vibe. I feel I’d even see them out and stuff because Cardiff is so small. I think we all kind of secretly wanted to be each other’s friends, and then we finally cracked it, and it was just amazing. Do you know the feeling of wanting to be someone’s friend and actually being their friend, but then take it to the next level, like what we do now?
Meg: I saw Sarah 10 years ago. She was my trainer in Lush. You had Electric banana hair? Like yellow hair. What was it called?
Sarah: It was an electric banana. Yeah.
Meg: I remember a hair dye color. I was just like, Oh my god. Like, who is she? I wish I could be friends with her, and here we are, years later, and they are travelling the world. It’s insane.
Something I really value is being able to see myself in others. Our female friendships and loved ones do that. It’s that wonderful thing where we get to see a piece of ourselves in somebody else, and then shine that together like a beautiful lighthouse. It’s one of those things where I’m like, yeah, I love being able to feel so deeply about sharing that beauty. You’re just like, “Yes, this is why we needed to be friends,” and I absolutely love that. So, even talking about girlhood, if you had to describe it in one word, how would you describe it?
Sarah: Oh, one word. It’s beautiful. Let’s say.
Meg: Yeah, beautiful and stunning as we would say. It’s just like a chef’s kiss.
Definitely majestic as fuck. So, in those big brain meetings of creativity, how did your self-title come together? I know it had been various things in the works, and something that really resonated was the idea of being like, yeah, we swam a lot, we locked in, we had a good time, going mermaid mode. So, in those moments together, how does that creative spark usually strike where you’re like, “Let’s actually lean in on this first song”?
Meg: Are we both going to say wine?
Sarah: I mean, that does help. I was gonna say, a joke. It’s usually like someone says something hilarious. But wine’s probably helped us get there.
Meg: Wine, and then we’re just brainstorming. It’ll just be one running joke that we go with, but it’s probably fueled by wine or another beverage, or sometimes not. I was thinking this last time we came to Austin, I laughed so much we were just constantly joking and laughing, and it’s like really fun to feel so comfortable with a group of people that you can just like crack you want and just like wind each other up and like that’s usually how most of everything starts.
Sarah: It takes a lot to tell a joke in front of people. Like, you never know if people are going to laugh, but we know that we’re all going to find it hilarious. So that’s why that is great.
Meg: Yeah. Who doesn’t want to laugh all the time, you know? Like, why wouldn’t you?
I love a little hehe, haha banter with the girly pops. And then in that, you’re like, let me take a note of that too. Do you guys have a Notes app out?
Sarah: Yeah, that is it. Write it down. We’ve actually got a new one that Nick started. “You just made the list!” [Laughs].
There you go. I love that! Honestly, the Notes app is superior. So, yes, I’m so glad that that’s ongoing because it really is such a helpful tool. This is one of my favorite apps.
Sarah: It’s my favorite app. Hands down.
It’s me and my notes app against the world [laughs]. And also, in what kind of moments do you find yourself in a mindset that has completely shifted since being in this band together? What mindset has shifted in each of you internally since being on this creative journey?
Meg: I think it’s been such a gradual shift of mindset because we’ve been together over eight years. And I think that was the bit like realizing it’s not just us having a laugh, and it’s kind of become our careers. We still work part-time, which is a big struggle, but that’s the shift that’s the mindset, like okay, this isn’t just like a laugh, this is like a business as well, at the same time, I don’t want to have to say it is, but like it is and I think that’s the most difficult bit.
So, even looking back at that childlike wonder, what female artist did each of you grow up on that you feel like you embody now at this time in your life?
Sarah: I mean, I was a pop girly growing up, like as if we’re thinking real early. So it was like Britney, it was the Spice Girls. That was all it was for a younger girl like me, anyway. So, I don’t really embody, I guess maybe the Spice Girls energy, of course, is throughout us all, I’m sure.
Which Spice Girl did you gravitate towards?
Sarah: I had a few phases. Yeah, but I think Sporty was the overwhelming one. We’re mixed in a bit of Scary. But I had my moment with Jerry, but she was too sexy for me. I wanted to be a tomboy.
Yes. I love that. I love that. I know it’s like a choose-your-fighter moment, but again, we’re changing and vice-versa. So, you know, I love that though. What about you, Meg?
Meg: I think I’m more of a Posh Spice. I do think I’m Posh Spice. I didn’t necessarily want to be. I really like Cherry Spice, but I think I’m truly Posh Spice. I love it.
Sarah: The diva energy.
Meg: The diva. Yeah, I am the diva.
The Gucci dress, baby. The little Gucci dress. Honestly, that movie is iconic as fuck. Like, I’m so happy they made that movie. Except for the alien touching the boobye, we could do without that [laughs]. Also, you guys are more from the heart. So, it’s almost like people can try to put you in a box, but it just won’t always work because you are who you are. So, what do you think gets missed when people try to box you in?
Meg: There’s like nuance to our work and our songs that you’re not going to get unless you come to a live show.
Sarah: Totally.
Meg: And like I can’t put our music in a genre either. It’s like, when someone says, “Oh, what do you do?” Like, it could be someone at the Post Office, you know: “What kind of music do you play?” I always say, “Oh, it’s like punky kind of music. It’s like four girls.” Like, it’s like if I’m just explaining to the average Joe, it’s hard because it’s not just that. It really isn’t, and it’s hard to describe it.
Sarah: Yeah, totally. You got catchy songs, you know, catchy indie pop punk feel.
Which, again, is part of that curiosity, that “fuck around and find out” energy I love about you guys, because you really just have to feel it. You can’t describe it unless you show up. You can throw a couple of adjectives on it, but that’s not the ethos, the soul of Panic Shack, which I gravitate towards and love. Confidence and curiosity, the weapons you guys have, how do you sharpen that? Is it usually together or individually?
Meg: I think we’re kind of finding out our essence. I experiment with that quite a lot personally, and then I just feel like we can all do that together. It’s quite exciting.
Sarah: We’re all like such different people, and we’re so good together. We’re all obviously so different as well. So, when it all comes together, it could only be Panic Shack. And I think accepting who we all are, and what’s going to happen, is just part of it. Accepting what Meg was saying earlier, like I’m going to play and I’m going to do whatever comes out, and that’s going to be me, and I think we all have that attitude, and so when we’re all up there doing that, I think that just speaks for itself, you know.
Meg: It’s special
And something I love about how we’re all unique snowflakes is that we each have our own superpowers. It varies whether we tap into them, but a beautiful thing is that we can often see it in our loved ones before we see it in ourselves. So, with that, if each of you had to name a superpower of another member of the band, what would it be, and how does that power affect you personally?
Sarah: Emily can literally talk to absolutely anyone; people are drawn to her. We see it all the time, in the airport, gigs, people just find a way to talk to her and not in a creepy way, just purely conversation, and it’s really lovely to watch, that’s why people are drawn to her, and I think that’s really nice.
Meg: It’s so true. We were in Austin, and somebody had drawn her. I wasn’t there. Sarah was there when it happened. That was really funny. A guy had drawn her at breakfast the day before we went for coffee, and a guy had sketched her on his notepad, completely unrelated to Southby, and then later on she found her on the street elsewhere and was like, “Excuse me, I drew you earlier.” And showed her the drawing, and it was like two days had passed. I don’t know. It was crazy.
Wow, that’s so beautiful. So, she has that kind of butterfly essence.
Sarah: Just really an open, friendly vibe. I think people are drawn to that. Yeah.
Meg: Romy is just like one of the kindest and most generous people.
Sarah: You have to look after her sometimes. So kind, you know?
Meg: Romy’s got this, the magic energy.
Oh my god, I love that. And then what about a little vice-versa for each other?
Sarah: Okay. Well, Meg is confident, but I know how hard you’ve worked to earn that confidence. So, for me to see it, it’s just like, yes! Meg is like almost like a cartoon character, a glamazon diva woman, and she shows up in it, and it’s the energy, not just like the look, even though that’s incredible, but it’s just like, yes!
Meg: Sarah is just like such a free spirit. As you touched on unembarrassable earlier, it’s just not that. I just love her confidence in that way. She’s such a free spirit, like the life of the party, and just one of the best people to have in the room with you.
You guys clearly hype each other, which is girlhood, but it’s also authentic to your core friendship. I can only imagine what you bring as this power supergroup of wonder and whimsy, that’s why I was like, I need to tap in. And we’ve got to give Nick some love, what about Nick?
Meg: Very dedicated to his craft. Very motivated. Absolutely loves playing drums.
Sarah: he’s just like got a big brain, you know, when he likes something, he is all in on it, and he loves it. He can tell you every bird in Austin; he went in on those birds.
I love that.
Sarah: We actually saw a red cardinal. It was very cute.
Oh, yes. They’re literally everywhere right now. I love somebody who has that attention to detail and talks about things that make you say, “Oh, tell me more.” You know what I mean?
Sarah: Yeah. We asked him for a fact about sharks, and we expected him to just say a random fact. He told us about 20. So, we were like, “Okay.” Always entertained when Nick’s around. That’s for sure.
So now that spring is here, and you guys are continuing on your tour. What shows are you most excited about? Obviously, all of them, because you’re bringing that energy to so many wonderful places, but is there anything on your list (outside of the iconic, which we’ll save for the end) that you’re really looking forward to?
Sarah: I’m just excited to be on that tour. Do you know we’re doing the American tour?
Meg: Yeah. We’re coming back to the U.S. in the summer. I don’t know how much we’re like saying and not saying. So, like that’s exciting.
You guys are cooking.
Sarah: Yeah, essentially. But we can say we’re coming back, just not exactly when or where. But the summer.
Meg: This summer. So very soon. Just finalizing some bits.
Okay, keep us on our toes, because I will be on the way. The FOMO is real, especially after getting flooded with Heather’s videos yesterday. I’m like, okay, I literally need to be there. And what we do know is, you guys do have stuff in April, right?
Meg: Yes, we’re doing Germany, like five dates in Germany. So really excited about that. And then just like hitting Europe and the festivals, as well as coming back.
Is there a festival that you love playing whenever you’re in the Euro festival season?
Sarah: We’ve got the Green Man Festival, which is actually where we’re from. Well, kind of where we’re from. It’s in Wales. So that’s quite a novelty, and we haven’t played it in a few years, but we always go, and we’re playing it this year. So, we’re very excited.
Oh my gosh. So, did you guys grow up going to that festival?
Sarah: We kind of met there.
Meg: As long as we’ve known each other. Yeah. We’ve been going for like 10, 11 years. And yeah, we met there.
Sarah: Very random.
Meg: Yeah, we solidified it at Greenman, you know.
Were you guys just in the crowd, or where were you guys?
Sarah: Well, in our campsite, because Cardiff is very small, we already kind of knew each other. It was my first actual meeting with Meg.
Meg: I think so. Yeah. I had just got a tri-trial shift, passed, and then I literally went to Greenman, and I think I said to you, “You’re my boss!” [Laughs]
Sarah: And I was like “Oh fuck!” Don’t tell anyone at this festival about me.
And how did it come to be that now you guys are part of something huge, celebrating 50 years of punk alongside artists like the Sex Pistols, featuring Frank Carter, No Big Deal, and all these amazing artists, and playing the iconic Cardiff Castle? How does that feel? What is going on?
Sarah: Literally that. What is going on?
Meg: Yeah. I don’t think about it too much, because I think I would freak out, like that’s how I feel about some stuff. It’s like I actually can’t think about it because that’s nuts.
Sarah: I was thinking about it today as well, actually, just cause every now and then it crosses your mind. Do you know what? Everything, whenever we get to a milestone, we always like, if you had told me this three years ago, even a year ago, I would be like, “Oh my god.” But every time something comes along, it feels like the right time and the right thing to do.
Sarah: It’s incredible. And it’s a bit like, I can’t really get my head around it just yet. But it feels good and right. And we’re going to put on one heck of a show.
Yes. Something I want to share with you for your heart and soul as you go into this space, is a quote by Viola Davis I’ve been sharing with loved ones on my little girlhood FaceTime’s: “Your purpose isn’t what you do, it’s what happens to people when you do what you do.” So just know that in these moments of divine alignment, whenever you step on that stage, you can be the bad bitches, persona it up with the confidence you hype each other with. But also remember the goal is to illuminate, to create a feeling on the other side of that barricade. That soul connection is what matters. It’ll alleviate the intensity of everything because even with all these pioneers and trailblazers of punk, at its core, the genre is about fucking YOLO.
Sarah: [Laughs] Yeah.
Meg: Absolutely.
So, it’s all silly. Hehe, haha, just like you guys always are, you know, and you just bring your joy and whimsy. Doing what you do out here in male-dominant spaces, inspiring women across the barricade. But as far as people discovering you at these shows, what feeling do you want them to leave with?
Meg: If it were me, I would want them to just feel like they can go out and do whatever they want. If you’re interested in something, go and do it. Like, don’t you think your life is miserable not doing what you want? It’s easier said than done. But like, that’s essentially the only thing I’ve applied to my life: I want to do what I love to do. So, I would love to encourage them to just do it if they wanted to be a musician, performer or whatever. I want to empower them, that’s what I want.
Sarah: Be empowered, also like just have some time to just have some fun. Enjoy the show, you know, like sometimes life is hard, and it’s nice to just go and enjoy a show as well as all the rest. That’s also what I want to put on a show. We don’t want to just stand there and sing the songs; we want to give you your money’s worth, you know.
Yes, and again, bring back whimsy. What you guys do reflects your energy; it’s been said over and over. Even without all the loved ones, that energy is still there within. So, thank you so much for sharing your light and creativity with the world, and for inspiring so many people to feel empowered and be silly.
Live in Vancouver
