Panchiko is adjusting to a reality they once gave up on: being full-time musicians. As teens in the early 2000s, the UK band crafted emotive, cosmic rock music to little fanfare, eventually shelving their dreams and moving on with their lives. But in 2016, a long-forgotten demo, D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L, resurfaced online and gained cult status, prompting fans to seek out its creators. By 2020, the band reunited—Andy Wright, Owain Davies, Shaun Ferreday, plus new members Robert Harris and John Schofield—touring the world and releasing their first album in over two decades, Failed at Maths. That journey raised a question: what comes after your dreams come true?

The answer is Ginkgo, a 13-track album shaped by time, maturity, and space. Now with a dedicated studio in Nottingham and the freedom to create full-time, Panchiko embraced a slower, more intentional process. Songs like “Chapel of Salt” showcase lyrical depth and cinematic ambition that reflect the band’s lived experiences, while others like “Lifestyle Trainers” lean into themes of long-term commitment and middle age. Despite this evolution, echoes of their teenage selves remain—especially on tracks like “Shandy in the Graveyard,” inspired by Davies’s connection to younger fans and featuring genre-blending production with guest billy woods. Their time touring the U.S. also left its mark, inspiring tracks like “Florida,” built on sonic experimentation born from writing on the road.

Though Panchiko’s music has grown up, it remains rooted in honesty. Ginkgo is grounded not only by its emotional and sonic maturity, but also by its sense of home: it was mostly recorded in Nottingham and features a candid photo taken by Wright’s young daughter as the album cover. That gesture, unplanned and sincere, captures the ethos that’s carried Panchiko from obscurity to resonance. On the title track, they reflect on surrendering control—“You command the leaves to fall / The Ginkgo bends at will”—a fitting mantra for a band whose second life was sparked by chance but sustained by purpose. Their roots, now deeper, make the journey all the more enduring.

Joining Panchiko on tour as the supporting and opening act is Glixen. Eluding all expectations of the current alternative rock space, Glixen come from Phoenix, Arizona and have taken their sound coast to coast on tour in North America. As influences, lead vocalist/guitarist Aislinn Ritchie cites My Bloody Valentine, No Doubt, and T.A.T.U. In the same breath, also citing heavier acts such as HUM and My Vitriol. Ritchie founded Glixen in 2020 and later added the talents of lead guitarist Esteban Santana, drummer Keire Johnson, and bassist Sonia Garcia.

Glixen released their debut EP She Only Said via Julias War Records on August 11th, 2023. The lead single Splendor sets the tone of the EP by masterfully capturing the swirling ambiance of 90s rock, ethereal pop vocals, and fuzzed out walls of guitar all wrapped up in a lacey white ribbon. She Only Said is a cathartic anthem that feels like glitter and thorns down the listeners spine.