Yes, it is a bear, but it’s also a great band from Perth, Australia who are now based in America.

The Panda Band could be best described as art-tech-indie-pop. Art: because of their crafty arrangements – tech: because they play with effects, keys and samples – indie: because by choosing to run their own label, they are in the drivers seat – pop: because they are big on catchy, layered melodies and sing-a-long bits. You could also throw ironic, vaudevillian, intelligent and addictive into the adjective stew, but we wont so pretend that we didn’t write this bit.

As the follow up to their 2005 EP Sleepy Little Deathtoll Town, The Panda Band independently released their first album This Vital Chapter (we’re almost not even here) in Australia (August 2006) where it has been met with critical acclaim from press such as Rolling Stone, Sydney Morning Herald, The Melbourne Age and various street press. National radio station Triple J selected it as their feature album and presented the August promotional tour, which had sold out shows in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane.

In North America the album was released in September through Filter US Recordings and Fontana Distribution. The band have received airplay on Nic Harcourt’s Morning Becomes Eclectic and several other KCRW programs as well as scoring Myspace Pick of the Week. US music sites online have been raving about the album with comments like…

POP MATTERS: awesome album review
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/the-panda-band-this-vital-chapter/
“This Vital Chapter (subtitled We’re Almost Not Even Here) is a huge-hearted, trippy adventure through spaced-out cacophony and endless melody; it’s addictive, derivative, and (did I mention?) immensely enjoyable.”

PERFECT PORRIDGE: http://www.perfectporridge.com/2006/09/the_panda_band_this_vital_chap.html
“The Australian quintet have melded Sgt. Pepper with the Polyphonic Spree for an utterly refreshing 12 track delight sure to be a favorite in Wayne Coyne's iPod.”

SMOTHER: http://smother.net/reviews/items/punk/866/The_Panda_Band-This_Vital_Chapter.php
“This Vital Chapter” is an adventure that shakes loose all stereotypes of indie pop with no real sudden moves to rebel against; simply speaking this is one damn fine album that any musician would be wildly proud to have been involved with. The Panda Band is one group that you never want to part with.”

TREBLE ZINE: http://www.treblezine.com/reviews/1672.html
“If you combined Queen and ELO and added a touch of the Unicorns, you'd come close to replicating this magical mix.”

PUCKNATION: 7.5 out of 10 review http://www.pucknation.com/index.php?mod=3&id=168&article=1404
“The band plays indie rock with a Queen-like pomp and a Radiohead-ish diversity”

I GUESS I’M FLOATING: http://iguessimfloating.blogspot.com/2006/11/da-panda-banda-bonanza.html
“I took another look at the Aussies and their latest record This Vital Chapter and as fate would have it, the album is gaining momentum among my year's most played.”

411 MANIA: http://www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/47037
“This Vital Chapter is one of the most well constructed, fully realized indie debuts to come along in a while. Think Flaming Lips and you won’t be far off. The Panda Band come up with some gorgeous and unique sounds, and things even work on a pop level…”

REVOLT MEDIA: http://www.rwsmagazine.com/reviews/?p=261
“The Panda Band shows there is groundbreaking potential left in indie, and that some of the most unexpected stars shine the brightest.”

HATE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL: http://www.hatesomethingbeautiful.com/chat/viewtopic.php?t=4291
“If you had a bad weekend like I did and just want to listen to something to cheer yourself up a bit, try The Panda Band.”

MUSIC TAP: http://www.musictap.com
“The Panda Band gives a satisfying romp into the explorative areas of the late ‘60s, Beatles-wise and the latest trend to find that same musical space but with new twists.”

FINGERTIPS: http://fingertipsmusic.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_fingertipsmusic_archive.html#116104949350183911
“Loping along with a kitchen-sink variety of sounds and musical moments, "Eyelashes" is a song that I think will satisfy both those who enjoy songwriting craft and those with short attention spans.”

NOISE FOR TOASTER: http://noisefortoaster.blogspot.com/2006/10/panda-bands-vital-chapter.html
“they have the potential to be the biggest indie rock group that we've seen from Australia in quite a long time.”

INSIDE PULSE: http://brokendial.insidepulse.com/article_v3.php?contentid=61886&rssZone=1
“There’s an ingredient here that makes The Panda Band immediately more accessible than other space rockers, and that ingredient is, oddly enough, twang.”

REVOLT MEDIA: http://www.rwsmagazine.com/reviews/?p=261
“The Panda Band, however, packs such a potent sound that This Vital Chapter is a whimsical plethora of many influences…[t]The result is nothing short of dazzling.”

ONE TIMES ONE: 4 out of 5 star review
http://www.onetimesone.com/music-reviews/panda-band-vital-chapter.php
“In all, This Vital Chapter is a rewarding listen from tick to tick. Not the least bit skimpy on inventive songcraft and advertant one-upsmanship of the many weird-for-no-reason bands splashing around the pool right now, this record should surprise many despite its already heavy Aussie airplay.”

The Panda Band rounded off the year with a co-headlining national tour in November with The Exploders and kicked off 2007 with a performance at the sold out 20 000 strong Southbound Festival alongside bands such as Modest Mouse, The Bees and Basement Jaxx. Then April was on the road w/ GOMEZ and are back now in the states on tour with Magnet and soon to be others!

Highlights from the beginning

• “Eyelashes” single playlisted on national & interstate radio and given single of the week in two Australian street press (April ’04)
• first show for the WAMI Festival (June ’04)
• WA regional/metro tour with Little Birdy (July ’04)
• first interstate dates in Sydney & Melbourne playing with Hope of The States (UK) (Aug ’04)
• “Sleepy little deathtoll town” playlisted on national & interstate radio (Sept ’04)
• 11 date Australian tour with Little Birdy (Oct ’04)
• Selected for Triple J’s Fresh Crop artist for Australian Music Month profiling the song “Mohawk”
• listed by Rolling Stone Magazine as number 1 band to watch in 2005 (Jan ’05)
• “Sleepy little deathtoll town” makes #73 on Triple J’s Hottest 100 (Jan ’05). Gets included on the compilation album (selling over 100,000 copies) and the DVD.
• play the inaugural Southbound Festival, featuring The Thrills (Jan ’05)
• play The Big Day Out Perth (Feb ’05)
• release their EP Sleepy little deathtoll town (Feb ’05)
• main support for The Delgados (UK) at the Perth International Arts Festival (Feb ’05)
• awarded Most promising new act at the 2005 WA Music Industry Awards (Feb ’05)
• “Then you appear” single playlisted on national & interstate radio (Mar ’05)
• gigs at The Knitting Factory in Los Angeles, SXSW Festival, Rothkos and The Mercury Lounge New York and The Marquee Club in London (Mar ’05)
• Australian touring in April, June and July with Evermore (NZ)
• shows at Manchester’s In the City, Liverpool, Leeds, Wrexham (touring with Proud Mary) and 3 gigs in London (one with New Yorkers, The Spinto Band) (Sept/Oct ’05)
• live recording at XFM Radio in London for broadcast on John Kennedy’s nightly new music program (Oct ’05)
• invited to perform at Canadian Music Week 2006 and The Great Escape Festival 2006 in Brighton, UK (Oct ’05)
• “Alana” single playlisted on national & interstate radio (Oct ’05)
• receive three song awards including mixed category, pop category and Song of the Year at the WA Music Industry Association’s Songwriting Awards (Oct ’05)
• headline tour to Sydney and Melbourne including Bathurst Village Fair (Oct/Nov ’05)
• invited to perform at SXSW 2006 (Dec ’05)
• awarded best indie rock act and best drummer at the 2006 WA Music Industry Awards (Feb ’06)
• record debut album at Blackbird Studios (Feb ’06)
• performed official Triple J “Live at The Wireless” broadcast nationally during the WAMi’s (Feb ’06)
• Damian awarded the Australasian Performing Rights Society Professional Development Award for the Contemporary Music category for his song Eyelashes (Mar ’06)
• National tour as the main support act for The Grates (Mar – April ’06)
• Signed to Filter US Recordings to release their album in North America (Mar ’06)
• Booked for a US tour to promote the album
• Debut album “This Vital Chapter” released in Australia (Aug ’06)
• Triple J makes “This Vital Chapter” their Feature Album
• National headlining album tour taking WA acts New Rules For Boats & Jeff Strong as supports. Presented by Triple J. Sells out shows in Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane (Aug ’06)
• WHO Magazine and Sydney Morning Herald give the album Four Stars.
• Rolling Stone Magazine include album track “Face of the Earth” on their cover compilation CD. Review in the same issue rates the album as a “Must Have” release (Sept ’06)
• North American release of “This Vital Chapter” (Sept ’06)
• National tour as main support for The Sleepy Jackson (Sept ’06)
• Double headlining national tour with The Exploders, taking local act The Dirty Secrets as support (Nov ’06)
• Second performance at Southbound Festival Busselton (Jan ’07)
• WA Regional tour and collaboration with local dance company Steps for WAMi Festival (Feb ’07)
• 11 date USA tour covering Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Chicago, & New York to promote the album release in North America (Mar ’07)
• Added to playlists of five US radio stations including the ppopular LA station KCRW (March ’07)
• National tour supporting UK band Gomez (Mar – April ’07)
• Full-house performance at The Great Escape Festival, Sydney (April ’07)
• Break into the USA’s CMJ National Top 200 radio charts at #133 with radio airplay across the USA (April ’07)
• Moved to the states to continue US touring and help promote their FILTER US RECORDINGS release: “This Vital Chapter”

More of What The Press Say

THE PANDA BAND
Sleepy Little Deathtoll Town EP (BAM*BOO)
“Damn, The Panda Band should be the presidents of the universe. Fun is such a no-no for so many bands. There is this idea that having fun negates credibility, that the only way to tap into truly remarkable territories of creativity is by experiencing or expressing pain. What a load of old bollocks. Fun is the zenith of human accomplishment. It’s miles past pain and darkness and whining and indecision. It’s as far as you can go. ‘Sleepy Little Deathtoll Town’ is whimsical, catchy-as-heck and thoroughly fun.”
RL – Time Off (Qld)

THE PANDA BAND
With The Grates at The Tivoli (Qld), May 2006
“The Panda Band are charmingly odd, from their Grace Kelly-adorned drumkit to the balloon tied to keyboard player Steve’s hair. Guitarist Chris Callan doesn’t let a splinted arm stop him from awkwardly playing slide guitar, joining his brother on keys and generally get in the way of the drummer (who’s not wearing a dress, it’s a kaftan). They make dedications to their tourmates’ parents and ramshackle their way through faves like Then You Appear and Sleepy Little Deathtoll Town. Their sound is somewhere between Modest Mouse and Polyphonic Spree and I love it.”
Clare Fletcher – RAVE (Qld)

THE PANDA BAND
With The Grates at The Metro (NSW), May 2006
“The Panda Band attracted a lot of attention last year in the Australian music industry and was listed in Rolling Stone Magazine’s top ten bands of 2005 – now I know why. With a style that hints at The Beatles, Dylan and Bowie, The Panda Band appear very well equipped for international stardom, should it be just around the corner (lets just hope it is). They are a talented five-piece outfit well worth checking out.”
Paula Zammit – The Drum Media (NSW)

THE PANDA BAND
With The Grates at The Corner (Vic), Apr 2006
“After some respite in the upstairs beer garden, it was back downstairs for Perth group The Panda Band and a seriously solid 45-minute set. Although still fresh on the local scene, the five-piece pumped through their songs with conviction, and are definitely a group to catch next time they’re in town. Panda Band = Good.”
Dylan Stewart – Inpress (Vic)