IST IST arrive home to the brilliant surroundings of the Albert Hall in Manchester, and one of their biggest shows to date.

All live photography by Dominic Walsh. You can see more of his work, here.

FRIDAY NIGHT REVELRY

IST IST’s homecoming at the Albert Hall was the ultimate collision of gothic architecture and bass-heavy post-punk. Manchester had basked in a spell of late April sunshine for much of the week, but as evening drew in the clouds gathered and rain fell with a gentle persistence, as if to remind us that you can, perhaps, have too much of a good thing.

Around the streets near Albert Hall, amid Friday evening revellers, there was a steady stream of IST IST T-shirts making their way towards Peter Street. It was an experienced but enthusiastic crowd, and the density of band shirts was unlike anything I have seen at a gig before. The merch desk was a hive of activity, while the bars were filled with IPA drinkers revving themselves for the music to come.

THE YOUTH PLAY

The Youth Play are an alternative band from London blending shoegaze, indie and post-punk. They’re the perfect foil for tonight’s proceedings; with it also being great to see a young band given the platform to perform.

Within their songs, the quartet show plenty of restraint. They craft their songs in a way that sees them posturing like a boxer waiting for the right moment to attack. Everything seems to build, and they have a decent set of songs already in their canon. Last Day On Earth is a highlight. Singer, Diego Bracho, is pleasant in his patter with the crowd. He thanks the crew and bands from the tour leading into an emotional introduction about his brother who is in attendance. Not only this, his sibling has travelled from Mexico. The Youth Play pick up the pace with A Fair Life and allow the handbrake to gradually relax. The marching pulse evokes Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ Lovely Creature.

Whilst being very green, The Youth Play grow into their set and increase in confidence. This is a big show for them and Bracho is clearly very emotional as their set concludes. They are clearly a band to watch.

DESPERATE JOURNALIST

Like IST IST, Desperate Journalist have been around longer than you might think. Formed in 2012, the London-based post-punk four-piece have now released five studio albums, and they play an energetic, well-curated set that ensures the Albert Hall filled quickly and those clustered at the barrier were soon in full voice. Prior to the penultimate song of the set, the band dedicated a track to a loyal fan who was attending for the 50th time, a nice touch that spoke to the devotion they inspire.

Desperate Journalist are talented musicians who draw from post-punk, shoegaze and dream pop in an orchestrated blend of driving rhythm and atmosphere. But it is the vocal performance of Jo Bevan, with shades of Karen O and Björk, that drives the set towards its throbbing crescendo. Their performance was sharp, urgent and full of purpose, and they made an already eager room feel properly primed.

CHRIS HAWKINS

Between the support acts, Chris Hawkins of BBC Radio 6 Music took charge of the DJ desk and curated a perfect post-punk pastiche playlist, with the crowd drifting to and from the bars singing along to Munich by Editors and other familiar British indie staples. I asked him whether the band had chosen a walk-on song for their long-awaited homecoming, but he admitted the conversation had never come up. The only instruction from the band, he said, was: “If you can’t think of what to play, or there is a lull, just throw on some Joy Division.”

That felt about right. The Joy Division reference had been made, the line drawn, and Hawkins handled the in-between moments with a light touch that kept the atmosphere building without overplaying his hand. His playlist gave the evening a nice sense of continuity, as if the room was being gradually pulled closer to the main event.

IST IST

When the lights drop and the stage dissolves into blue, IST IST take the stage with Mat Peters, Andy Keating and Joel Kay already in place, before Adam Houghton emerges in his trademark shades to greet the roar that follows. As the opening riff of Encouragement rang out, the room answered immediately. The keys were eerie, the bass rich, the drums heavy, and the lead guitar gave the song a crisp, uncluttered force. It is a fine opener, and one that allowed Houghton to hold his arms aloft beneath the Albert Hall lights, taking in a moment that had clearly been years in the making.

His baritone bounced off the arched ceiling of the cathedral-like venue with real authority. As the song moved towards its climactic close, Keating let his bass hang at his side and stepped into chief compère mode: “Manchester, it’s been a long time coming… let’s have an amazing night together.” It was a genuinely sincere moment, and perhaps what set this show apart from the rest of the tour. This was not just another date on the calendar; it felt like a celebration shared between band and crowd.

DAGGER IN FULL FORCE

The opening tracks taken from Dagger (our review here) sounded enormous in this room, with the crowd settling in for a two-hour journey through the songs that have defined IST IST’s sound. Warning Signs came across as a breathless burst of energy, while Burning brought a pulsating riff and bassline that seemed to push and pull the crowd in time with the music. Houghton conducted movement from the centre of the stage, and after Burning he allowed himself a brief moment of release, exchanging a knowing smile with Keating.

From there, the band dipped into their back catalogue with four tracks from earlier records, and Light A Bigger Fire received particularly strong treatment. What I Know, Lost My Shadow and The Kiss sounded sharp and showed how fully formed the band’s angular post-punk identity already was. The Kiss has a more tender edge, but it still delivers with the same fevered intent that carries the opening section.

COMPELLING CLASSICS

Before Black — a classic IST IST track in every sense — Houghton dedicates it to someone special in his life. That open tenderness is part of what makes him such a compelling frontman. He can appear remote and controlled, but there is a vulnerable emotional core beneath the stare and the shades, and it gives the performance real depth.

If Dagger has been received with acclaim on record, The Echo was one of the night’s clear high points. It is one of the strongest songs on the album, with its searing lead riff and Joel Kay’s tight, insistent drumming, and it filled every crevice of the Albert Hall. The chorus opened the song up in a way that felt made for live performance, and the crowd seemed to drop into it with total conviction. Makes No Difference confirmed the same thing: Dagger was written with the stage in mind.

Producer Joe Cross was in attendance, and he must have been delighted to hear these songs in the setting where they truly come alive. Later, I Remember Everything and Ambition reinforced the point again. Both sounded huge, and both felt destined to remain part of the set for a long time to come.

TENDER MOMENTS

For all the baritone-led punch of IST IST’s biggest songs, the set also revealed a quieter, more introspective side to the band. Taken from Protagonist, Emily and Mary in the Black and White Room were received rapturously, thanks in large part to their emotional intimacy. The latter was especially effective, with Mat Peters switching from guitar to keyboards and synth as the stage shifted again into blue and red hues.

A New Love Song, taken from the band’s debut album, was perhaps the most intimate moment of the night. Houghton stood right at the edge of the stage and sang almost directly into the crowd, creating a brief sense of closeness within a room otherwise defined by scale and atmosphere. To the left of the stage, a cordoned-off area gave friends and family space to watch, and as the set began to draw to a close the band acknowledged them with waves and knowing smiles. It was a small detail, but it quietly deepened the sense that this was a milestone night in the band’s story.

As the main set neared its end, Under Your Skin and Repercussions gave further breadth to a back catalogue that is clearly growing in confidence. Fat Cats Drown in Milk ensured full album representation and underlined how committed the band are to drawing from across their catalogue rather than leaning on one dominant era. Before closing the main set, Andy Keating and Adam Houghton both thanked the fans for joining them, then finished on the superb You’re Mine. Under the crown of the light rig above the stage, the song felt like a release and a statement at once.

ENCORE

The band returned quickly and tore through I Am The Fear, one of the standout tracks on Dagger, before ending on the huge Stamp You Out. By that point the whole band looked reluctant for the night to end. They embraced one another, took in the moment, and turned with guitars aloft as if to capture the memory forever. Joel Kay even took time to point out to a loved one on the balcony with a triumphant smile, which only added to the sense of shared celebration.

IST IST have worked hard to create a sound that is relevant, fresh and unmistakably their own, and on this evidence they have done exactly that. They have grafted through the challenge of refining their identity, and tonight they sound like a band fully aware of what they are capable of becoming.

HOMECOMING

As the crowd spills back out into the cooling Mancunian air, ears ringing, the scene had reversed itself. Earlier, the streets had filled gradually with fans in band shirts; now those same shirts outnumbered the early weekend revellers. The “homecoming” label had been used heavily in the build-up, but on this night it felt entirely justified. IST IST’s return to a Manchester stage was not only a celebration of where they have come from, but a statement about where they can go next. It has been too long since the sunglass-donning post-punk outfit stepped onto a Mancunian stage — and on this evidence, they should not leave it too long before the next one.

IST IST: Website

Desperate Journalist: Website

The Youth Play: Facebook

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