Electric Pandas Reform for 2025 With November Shows Alongside James Reyne

Sydney’s Electric Pandas, the cult pop-rock outfit who made their mark in the mid-80s with one album and a hit song ‘Big Girls’, are officially back together. Lin Buckfield has revived the Pandas for 2025 with a refreshed line-up, and they’ll share the stage with James Reyne this November.

The current band features Lin Buckfield on vocals and guitar, alongside original member Craig ‘Wacca’ Wacholz (guitar) and Glen Pattison (drums) and Ray ‘Spole’ Scott (bass), who both joined towards the end of the first era. This is the first return of Electric Pandas since their mid-80s heyday.

Wacca has confirmed to Noise11.com that Electric Pandas will perform on the James Reyne dates in Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane as well as a few of their own warm-up dates in November and December. There may also be a Melbourne date, but that is to be confirmed. Wacca has also confirmed that a remastered/remixed 2025 edition of ‘Point Blank’ is in the works and that there will be a second Electric Pandas album on the way, their first album in 40 years, with a new song around November ahead of the live dates.

Released in 1985 on Regular Records, the ‘Point Blank’ album remains one of those definitive mid-80s Australian pop-rock albums. Produced during a period when the Australian charts were teeming with acts like INXS, Machinations, and the Eurogliders, Electric Pandas carved out a quirky but infectious sound fronted by Buckfield’s distinctive vocal style.

: Electric Pandas secret warmup gig at Paddo RSL 2025 photo by Glen Morgan

: Electric Pandas 1980s photo supplied by Wacca

: Electric Pandas secret warmup gig at Paddo RSL 2025 photo by Glen Morgan

: Electric Pandas Point Blank

The record produced three singles that cemented the Pandas’ reputation. “Big Girls”, with its sharp hooks and sly lyrical wit, became the band’s calling card and a staple of Countdown at the time.

Follow-up single “Missing Me” showcased Buckfield’s knack for melodic melancholy wrapped in new-wave jangle.

By the time “Italian Boys” rolled out, the Pandas had found themselves in steady rotation across radio and MTV, pushing the group into the national spotlight.

Despite the promise of ‘Point Blank’, the Electric Pandas didn’t last long enough to record a follow-up. Buckfield soon shifted gears and pursued other creative outlets. One of her most notable post-Pandas projects was her solo single R.O.C.K., a collaboration with Australian Crawl’s James Reyne. The one-off single came in 1989, showing Buckfield still had the drive to deliver pop hooks, even if a full solo album never followed.

Her career trajectory also took her into television journalism, where Buckfield has spent decades reporting for A Current Affair and the became a producer on Four Corners and other ABC programs. Lin and her partner moved to New York 15 years ago.

Now, almost four decades since ‘Point Blank’, the Electric Pandas are back. The 2025 line-up will perform shows the Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane shows opening for James Reyne. It’s a fitting reunion given Buckfield’s historic link with Reyne.

The shows will also give a new generation the chance to experience the Pandas live, something that hasn’t been possible for most of their existence. While the band are keeping details of setlists under wraps, fans can expect the three key singles, deep cuts from Point Blank, and maybe even a nod to Buckfield’s solo output.

Noise11 will keep you updated when the full Electric Pandas schedule is confirmed.

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