Panic Syndrome

Returning to Adelaide after a 20-year absence, the former front man of 90s
techno-grunge legends Caligula will play The King’s Head next month under the
guise of his latest incarnation, Panic Syndrome.

The Cure-esque rock band from Sydney made up of Ash Rothschild, Mark Tobin,
Kyle Barr, Damien Gillett and Josh Shipton will make their Adelaide debut
supported by Nick Cave tribute band, The Dark Seeds on Saturday, September 8.
Combining post-punk, dark-wave and shoegaze, Panic Syndrome describes
themselves as ‘the imaginary friend of that odd kid at school who ate worms and
always had a cold.’ Ash Rothschild is looking forward to getting back to Adelaide and answers for a few questions for Hi Fi Way: The Pop Chronicles.

Great news that you are back in the game with your new band, twenty years is a long time, do you have fond memories of Adelaide?
It surely is, way too long in fact. While most of my memories of the 90’s are pretty hazy to say the least, I can remember that we loved playing in Adelaide.

Is that a tricky thing to hang on to your supporter base when touring is limited?
People were always very appreciative that we made the trek to Adelaide as so many other bands seemed to have not played there. Well thanks to social networking it’s been great to find a lot of our old fans and friends. I’ve actually never stopped touring so luckily I have been able to remain friends with people from the past an gain quite a few new ones as well.

Is this tour a bit like dipping the toe in the water and see what happens?
Yes indeed, we would love to make Adelaide a regular place for us to play. Let’s see how this show goes.

What can punters expect to hear on this tour?
We will be playing a whole swag of songs from our album Lost which you can find on Spotify, Itunes etc. Perhaps an O’l tune from Caligula as well.

How would you describe Panic Syndrome to the punters of Adelaide?
I find it difficult to describe our sound, however if you enjoy the sounds of bands like The Cure, The Smiths, Joy Division and The Church then you”ll probably dig our jams.

How would you compare Panic Syndrome to your previous band Caligula?
Panic Syndrome are a rock band in it’s purest form.Two guitars, drums, bass and vocals. Caligula is more of an electro pop out fit with a dance edge.

Is there any new music planned and when might that come out?
We are currently putting together the new songs for our second album,we’ll be playing three of the tracks on this tour.

Is there any pressure or weight of expectation considering what you have done in the past?
There is always a slight expectation as a lot of people only know me from Caligula. Hopefully they’ll enjoy Panic syndrome as much as we do.

Who is your biggest influence at the minute?
The Cure will always be a huge influence on the band.I guess a lot of 80’s and 90’s indie bands play a huge part in our sound and we wear our influences proudly on our sleeves.

What does the future hold for Panic Syndrome?
After these shows we will be touring New Zealand early next year with our Kiwi pals Hiboux, then into the studio to knock out our second album, then another few tours in Australia and a possible European Tour.

Interview by Rob Lyon

Catch Panic Syndrome on the following dates…