The Revival of Panchiko, a '90s “Lostwave” Band

A Deeper Listen

KEXP’s Roddy Nikpour spoke Panchiko about being “rediscovered” two decades after recording their demo.

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photo by Adam Alonzo

Owain Davies received a message from a stranger in 2020 asking if he might have been the singer of a band called Panchiko more than two decades ago. As it turns out, he was — but they never put their music online. They just had seven demo tracks on CDs, but Panchiko never really broke out of their scene in central England at the time.

Fast forward to 2025: Panchiko is back in action with their second album since the band’s revival, Ginkgo, out on Nettwerk Music Group. Now, thanks to a devoted fanbase, Panchiko is embarking on a tour to play in front of thousands of people. KEXP’s Roddy Nikpour spoke with Davies and his bandmate Andy Wright about being “rediscovered.”

“Just say yes to opportunities — I almost didn’t,” Davies says in the interview. “Because we said yes to a simple thing of, ‘Yeah, we’ll start talking to you about this weird album you’ve discovered,’ it led to this. Try things out. You never know where it’ll go.”

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