Gig review: Sancho Panza at The Bodega

Opening the evening with rock n’ roll energy was the Stone Black Witches. Having previously played at Rough Trade in August, the band had clearly honed their craft over the summer. The post-punk psychedelic soundscape flowed seamlessly; the band didn’t miss a beat during their set and created a powerful atmosphere for the rest of the night.

The Stone Black Witches blend experimental connotations of Black Country, New Road with hypnotic riffs reminiscent of Black Sabbath. The band certainly commanded the stage with a presence impossible to ignore. Having recently released their single, Pub Crawl, they took the opportunity to showcase their talent and progress as a band.

Unlike most other groups, their centre piece was the tambourine and maraca player. Although accompanied by guitars and drums, this didn’t drown out the beats at all, in fact making a successful and unique addition to the line-up.

Taking the stage next were the ‘funk-fuelled grooves’ of Soft Serve,  another rising Nottingham band contributing to the flow of new and upcoming music in the city. Their latest single Dreams, released just a week prior, proved an instant crowd-pleaser.

The band merges together sounds from Loz Penna (lead vocalist and guitarist), Kelsey Shaw (backing vocals and rhythm guitar), Sam Gallagher (bassist), Laura Korpa (on percussion and backing vocals), Luke Tookey (percussion) and Harry Roberts on drums. Each member contributed extraordinary melodies to their their funk- and indie driven set. Considering that the band was a few members down from the original lineup, they certainly rocked that stage as they blended classic funk saxophone riffs with sharp, modern lyricism.

Harry Roberts (drums) told LeftLion that the band saw “people bobbing their heads and engaging with the music” and that in comparison to other gigs “the crowd were maybe more attentive to the details rather than just enjoying the music”.

Their stage presence was polished, priming the audience perfectly for Sancho Panza’s arrival. While echoes of Steely Dan come to mind, Soft Serve are carving out a distinctly original sound - one that firmly marks them as a band to look out for. This gig was just one of many exciting things to come for the band: they recorded a live session at The Grove that they are in the process of editing, so keep your eyes and ears peeled...

Lastly, but certainly not least, Sancho Panza returned to the Bodega stage, proving once again that they have become one of Nottingham’s most captivating live acts. The 'sleazy Brit-Funk' band have been ruling the stages of the city for years now and boy this really showed on Saturday night. Having just released their new song, Your Place or Mine?, the day before, we were in for a fresh and new sound from the band.

The venue was jam-packed with fans, both old and new, to hear the boys play and they did not disappoint.

The band started off the set with their new songs Kofuku and Pixie, and although they are both yet to be released, they catalysed a funk driven frenzy within the audience. Kofuku was the only instrumental song in their set and “allows [them] all to lock in and focus purely on the music," explained bassist and producer Beau Presley later.

The band also use their songs to tell a story; for example, Pixie is a love song about a pirate, a metaphor they grasped after interacting with a woman who lives on a canal boat, on our very own River Trent. The band's overall aim is to “establish a lyrical story or theme, often depicting a journey or series of events," lead guitarist Jake Gant told LeftLion.

The majority of their set on Saturday was unreleased material, offering fans an early glimpse into their
evolving sound, and as drummer/songwriter Harry Laycock says, they “are in the final stages of recording [their] second album, which is a huge milestone for the band." Judging by the crowd, anticipation for its release will be high.

With their music being rooted in funk and disco, their separate influences come from genres such as country and classic rock: Sancho Panza manage to fuse all of these together to create an individual sound that is completely their own. Their musical portfolio could be compared to Ian Dury and the Blockheads, with notes of modern and traditional funk, too.

Bradley Smith, one of Sancho’s newer fans in attendance at The Bodega, said they set a "cool tone” within the venue and created an atmosphere that was “super supportive, where everyone was chanting and singing. Even the barmen were on stage towards the end - a very cool evening indeed."

Sancho Panza's songs are musically crafted by Cameron Harris (lead vocalist and guitarist) and Harry
Laycock, then blended with talents from Jake Gant and Beau Presley. The chemistry between the four is undeniable, creating quite the show for the ears, and their 60s/70s aesthetic, both in looks and sound, ensured all eyes were also on them for the entirety of the show.

For the finale, the band invited special guests Joss Francis, lead vocalist of Wizards Can’t be Lawyers, and Ryan Baynham, their former guitarist, to join them on stage for the final bash: performing their latest single. Of course, it wouldn't have been a single launch if they hadn’t saved the newest until last. Your Place or Mine? went down a treat, with nearly the entire venue already singing along, word for word - a rare achievement for a release barely 24 hours old. The band accomplished a well deserved standing ovation from the audience at the end of their show, clearly leaving everyone wanting more.

In reflection on the evening, frontman Cameron Harris called it “a good showcase of [their] changing sound” and a “reminder that we have a community behind us in Nottingham”. 

This is a band firmly on the rise and one the city can proudly call its own. Until the new album lands, we will be patiently and eagerly waiting for the next Sancho Panza groove session.

Sancho Panza performed at The Bodega on 6th September 2025.

@sanchopanzamusic