If you love music, your wardrobe is likely stuffed full of band shirts. You might have a bunch of hoodies or a cap or two as well, or maybe something even more eclectic than that. It’s a conversation starter with fellow fans, a way of announcing that you belong to a certain scene, and a way of shouting about bands you love. On top of that, it’s also a vital way of putting money in artists’ pockets at a time where making enough money is harder than ever. Put simply, it’s the lifeblood of music.
Cardiff’s Panic Shack sling merch harder than almost anybody else. Not only is it vital for their survival, as with any band, but they also know that their merch reflects who they are as people. Their bubbly style of punk is a huge amount of fun live, but the fun doesn’t stop when the music does – once they’re off stage and fans drift to the merch table, they get creative.
Ahead of their headline tour this month, Stereoboard caught up with guitarist Romi Lawrence and bassist Em Smith to talk about the concert souvenir Em kept for years and why working in retail is great work experience for being in a band…
You’ve attributed the merch table to being a big part of the reason why you’ve made this band so successful. How is that the case? What have you had to do?
Em: “It’s the only place you really make that fucking dollar.”
Romi: “We feel like we’ve got really good taste in merch. We only sell merch that we would wear, and we literally do wear our own merch all the time and we know what people like. But, also, we just graft like mad on the merch desk and we have done like since the start. We will put an absolute shift in.”
Em: “If they put us miles away from the exit so people don’t walk past the merch table. We will make sure that we’re standing waving our merch from the top of the stairs like, ‘If you want this top right now, here’s my card reader!”
Romi: “We’ll split into teams and two of us will man the merch desk, and then the other two will just be shamelessly shepherding people towards it. It’s an operation, I tell you. But us being at the merch desk has been a really big part of it as well. Because I think people like to be able to come up and have a chat, and then you can just gently encourage them to buy something. The girls used to work in retail so they’re good at upselling things.”
Em: “We all worked together in bath bomb shops, so we can upsell to fuck.”
What was the first item of merch you bought?
Romi: “Mine was definitely a Spice Girls T-shirt. There’s a photo of me from when I was three in a big baggy purple ringer with all of the Spice Girls on. I went to see them when I was really, really little, and I remember it so vividly.”
Em: “When I was like seven Lisa from Steps threw one of her sponges off the stage, and I caught it and kept it in my bedroom for years. I never even used it. It was a red love heart sponge.”
What was the most recent item of merch that you acquired?
Romi: “I bought my boyfriend an Amyl and the Sniffers shirt when we went to see them in Bristol, I think it was the one with the flames on it.”
Em: “I got myself a Breeders long sleeve top when we saw them in Bristol. I feel like the long sleeve band shirts that are like 50 quid are an investment. I don't spend that much money on anything that’s a big splurge.”
What would you say is your favourite of your own merch designs?
Romi: “I really like the thong T-shirt that we’ve just got. The lace on the thong just looks so realistic. The one before that, we did one with a big rat on which I would say is probably my least favourite bit of merch, because I have a massive rat phobia.”
Em: “I really like the first one we did, which was a pink shirt with a ramen bowl and a mouth and it said Panic Shack. That’s a classic one. We should bring that back in another colour.”
You’re about to head out on tour in support of your self-titled debut album. What can we expect from those shows?
Romi: “It’s the longest we’ve ever played on stage.”
Em: “We’re gonna be fucking exhausted but in a good way. We’ve slapped together a 45 minute set, even when we’ve been told we gotta do an hour and we’re like, ‘We haven't got the material.’ But now we’re doing over an hour. I feel like our fingers and wrists are gonna be so jacked. These are also the biggest rooms we’ve ever played, and there’ll be lots of merch, new designs.”
Tell us more! What have you been working on?
Em: “Our first sweaters. There were some things that we wanted to get, but they didn’t come back in time. There are some super exclusive things we’re going to be selling in Cardiff and London, too.”
Romi: “We wanted some really cute baby tees, but they were ridiculously priced. You'd think that it would be cheaper to make a smaller size top. I’m gonna blame that on the patriarchy.”
Panic Shack Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Thu October 09 2025 - MARGATE Where Else
Fri October 10 2025 - BRIGHTON Chalk
Sun October 12 2025 - BRISTOL Electric Bristol
Tue October 14 2025 - GLASGOW Garage
Wed October 15 2025 - SHEFFIELD Foundry
Thu October 16 2025 - MANCHESTER Academy 2
Fri October 17 2025 - GLASGOW Garage
Sat October 18 2025 - NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
Thu December 04 2025 - LONDON Electric Brixton
Fri December 05 2025 - CARDIFF University Great Hall
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