Ist Ist arrive in the second city on the last night of a brief four date Winter Tour trek of the UK in a year that singer Adam Houghton shares has been immense with bigger plans afoot for 2026.
Special guests tonight are electro punk trio YAANG, fellow Mancunians who were included on the NME 100 hype list earlier this year. This energetic threesome shared an at times frantic set which included tracks from their debut EP `No` with `Speed McQueen` and `Til Morning Light` along with `Too Much Money` before closing with `Horsepower is God`. Frontman Davey Moore exudes an abundance of enthusiasm and passion and at times I was reminded of Detroit rockers Electric Six. YAANG are a band that has what has been described as a chaotic energy and one that I’ll definitely be investigating further.
This was my third time seeing Ist Ist and each time the venues are getting larger and the crowds much more substantial which bodes well for this electro post punk quartet.
The bands forthcoming album `Dagger` is due out in February and tonight the group shares a few tracks from this along with cuts from their previous releases. The show kicks off with `I Am The Fear` a new track and recent single and it`s a delightfully menacing number to lead us in on with its pounding drums, throbbing bass line with swirling synths and an almost menacing vocal delivery. `Something Else` races along before we head into the dreamy `Something Has to Give` and almost dystopian `What I Know` which highlights the musical dexterity and diversity of this outfit.
`Repercussions`, `Black`, and `I Can`t wait For You` quickly follow with the pensive `I Remember Everything` a new song sandwiched Inbetween. The midsection has some old favourites such as the wonderfully titled `Mary In the Black and White room`, pummelling `Lost My Shadow` and melodic `The Kiss` along with another couple of brand new tracks with the fast paced `Warning Signs` which seems to relate to remorse and regret and `Burning` which for me had a psychedelic slow burn vibe.
We enjoy further new songs with the racing `Makes No Difference` which touches on lust and desire and the absorbing `The Echo` but the pick of the homestretch were the ballad like `A New Love Song`, equally intense `Heads on Spikes`, wistful `Under Your Skin`, heartbreaking `Emily` before closing with my favourite, the perfectly unsettling `You`re Mine`
The band are encouraged to return and do so with a two song encore that includes the brooding `Wolves` prior to leaving us with the tensely anxious `Stamp You Out`. The band up to now seem to have had an almost cult like following but it really feels as if this is about to change. A new album, a fifteen date tour of Europe planned for March, a couple of dates in Ireland with eight dates in the UK in April before a headlining show at the Albert Hall in their hometown at the beginning of May.
After a decade of hard slog, toil, grind, and struggle, it looks like Ist Ist may finally be reaping the rewards of their hard work and there`s no band more deserving.
