During their UK tour, Panic Shack chose to embark on an online experiment.

“We’re going to perform this dance in every green room until we master it, follow us on TikTok to see our progress xxxxx,” the Cardiff punk band posted on Instagram in May 2025, sharing a video of members Sarah Harvey, Meg Fretwell, Romi Lawrence, and Emily Smith dancing to Janet Jackson’s “Miss You Much.”

After numerous performances on TikTok, 100,000 followers, and 15.4 million views, Panic Shack gained a remarkable presence on FYPs. They have just launched their debut album.

Established in 2018, Panic Shack came into being from “daydreaming while working,” as noted by Harvey, along with a communal passion for karaoke and attending friends’ concerts. This vibrant punk band from Cardiff embodies a continuous Thelma and Louise vibe in their songs about unbreakable friendships, telling off jerks, dealing with body image concerns, rolling cigarettes, meal deals, London guys, and the unsettling ick.

Mashable interviewed lead vocalist Harvey and guitarist/vocalist Fretwell about their viral breakthrough and their self-titled debut LP.

Panic Shack seized TikTok’s interest with their dance.

“Everyone be quiet, my show is on,” commented TikTok user Morgana on a Panic Shack video. “Why is this so captivating to watch? I think I’ve viewed each of these at least 10 times,” added welsh_witchery on another post. “Do you do divorce parties x,” queried Eviebop.

You may have discovered Panic Shack at a live performance or among the thousands who found them through their series of “Miss You Much” dances shared since May.

The dance was initially choreographed by dance instructor Jezebel Shuvani (@JezFever) from Ohio. Posting on TikTok in February, she described it as inspired by the closing scene of Lorene Scafaria’s Hustlers, where Ramona (Jennifer Lopez), Destiny (Constance Wu), Mercedes (Keke Palmer), and Annabelle (Lili Reinhart) perform their own choreography to Janet Jackson’s 1989 hit. The artist’s original “Miss You Much” video is teeming with dance moves.

Fretwell spotted the dance JezFever posted on TikTok and proposed it to her bandmates, Harvey, Lawrence, and Smith, who all eagerly agreed. At venues in Manchester, Brighton, Norwich, Leeds, and beyond, Panic Shack consistently found time to perform the dance. They even included drummer Nick Doherty-Williams in one of the performances.

“I suggested to the girls that we should attempt it while on tour together. And we just went for it, never expecting it to gain so much traction,” Fretwell shares with Mashable. “It was so wild, because so many people would say, ‘You’re marketing geniuses! Who is managing this?’ I think the combination of our outfits and the varied locations, along with the daily consistency of performing it while on tour, was the key factor. We honestly did not anticipate it would go viral. JezFever and her group are incredibly kind too; we’ve cultivated an online friendship with these women.”

The dance notably boosted Panic Shack’s online following, with their “Miss You Much” videos amassing 15.4 million views. The comment section is bustling with remarks from both longtime and new fans, many of whom also stumbled upon Panic Shack’s YouTube channel. “Anyone else here because they got hooked by their TikToks? Now I’m addicted to their music,” states one commenter, and they are not alone.

“You couldn’t script it; it could not have come at a more perfect moment,” says Fretwell. “Honestly, prior to the dance, we had about 6,000 followers before touring, and we returned from tour with over 100,000 followers. It’s truly astonishing.”

“It’s fascinating because we’ve had a solid following for quite a while through our live shows, and now it’s really intriguing to see who knows us from TikTok versus who knows us from performing live,” she adds.

Panic Shack champions joy while addressing negativity in the comments.

Having encountered toxic trolls and unkind comments previously, Panic Shack marvels at the rare experience of being women on the internet surrounded by positivity, enjoyment, and empowerment — all while remaining true to themselves.

“We could hardly believe how kind people were in the comments,” Fretwell remarks. “Some individuals have really emotional responses to the dance as well. It certainly isn’t our goal, but I’m simply thrilled that others have derived so much happiness from it.”

“We’re being authentic, and I think that often gets lost in social media,” Harvey notes. “And our friendship, too, probably shines through a bit, as it always does with the band, especially when we’re just enjoying each other’s company.”