Ist Ist

Komedia, Brighton | New Century, Manchester - 11 | 19 October 2024

We were still living in Sussex when we first heard whispers from friends of a new band in Manchester who would likely be of interest to us. Our first thought was to get them down to Brighton to play, but the timing was pretty dire. They were yet to release a record, very few locally would know their music, and we had a move planned to remote north-west Wales which wasn't exactly commutable. As we were hoping to get back to Sussex before too long we decided we could wait and see how they progressed. We never believed that nearly nine years down the line we would still be in Gwynedd and that Ist Ist would still not have played in the city. Then at long last it happened, with a date being arranged in Brighton on the tour to promote the band's fourth album, Light A Bigger Fire.

It's not like we could miss it. Tickets were booked and a holiday arranged around the date, with a week in Dorset followed by a week in Sussex where we would visit family and friends, catch some football, and drop into the Komedia to witness this very overdue event.

The band are booked into the studio at the Komedia. It's a venue we know well with a standing capacity of 150, a knee-breaker low stage and no vestige of security. The sound is restricted below 100dB, but has some clarity and, all in all, it makes for a cosy evening. Especially if the room is full and, pleasingly, Ist Ist's first foray to the bustling Sussex city has sold out.

We are curious to hear how the new album will sound in the live arena; it's a complex affair and it will be impossible to play some of the songs without adding some pre-recorded backing. This mainly affects Mat Peters who cannot play guitar and keyboards at the same time and through the evening it is obvious that the guitar is taking precedence. This makes sense as keyboard pieces are easier to fly in, while Mat live on guitar is becoming ever more animated, helping to add to the buzzing atmosphere the band is creating. This is decent from the kick-off; there are some familiar faces at the front of the crowd while those at the back offer nothing but appreciation. When a band shows they are lost in their own music, an audience rarely fails to connect, and Brighton is pretty much up for it. "This is the best night of the tour so far," announces bassist Andy Keating. "We'd play here again tomorrow if we could."

And they certainly play – twenty songs over ninety minutes, with no pretence of an encore. There are three songs from Architecture –  'Black', 'You're Mine' and the first song the band ever wrote, "Night's Arm'. 'The Waves' is the only offering from The Art of Lying , while six from Protagonists show their faces – 'Stamp You Out', 'Mary', 'Fool's Paradise', 'Something Has to Give', 'Nothing More Nothing Less' and 'Emily'. Importantly, this means that every song from the new album is included. This is a first for the band and shows just how far their abilities have increased; how they are able to take on more intricate songs live as well as having the confidence not to include tracks that would not work in a live setting on their albums. They ever step up. Of course, there were two memorable shows last year where Ist Ist played all three of their albums completely, but that was the only time some of their album tracks had been aired in that way.

Set List: Lost in my Shadow, The Kiss, Stamp You Out, I Can't Wait For You, Black, Mary In The Black And White Room, Something Else, Night's Arm, XXX, Fool's Paradise, Dreams Aren't Enough, Repercussions, Something Has To Give, The Waves, Nothing More Nothing Less, What I Know, Emily, Hope To Love Again, You're Mine, Ghost.

Eight days on and we are back from our travels and take the fairly hefty drive into Manchester to visit New Century Hall for the first time. It's the culmination of the UK section of the band's tour and, of course, the homecoming. The venue couldn't contrast more with the Komedia Studio, the venue being over eight times larger, with a capacity of 1,300. It's no exaggeration to say that you could fit the whole of the Komedia on the stage here with room to spare and we were intrigued to see if the band could handle the wide open spaces as well as the cramped environs of a little hall.

For some reason, they have decided to budge over to their right, with Mat standing near the edge of the stage and Andy being given acres of space on his left. There is plenty of room for some rhythmic gymnastics if the bassist is so inclined, but he probably doesn't see the space as he is in shades for the whole of the gig, admittedly looking cool as hell as he builds on the good foundations of being a master of low-slung bass-god poses. As we always tend to stand near the front on the right when we see Ist Ist, we are left with the strange situation of staring out on to blank space with Andy just to our left.

The band are far more assured on stage than they were just a couple of years ago; they are far more enveloped by their own sound, directing the music with swaying arms, punching the air and getting the audience to clap along. Adam Houghton still only says about twenty words but he is clearly at ease and enjoying the occasion. He is able to use the space to wander around the stage a little more than usual and it is good to see him embracing that freedom. Drummer Joel Kay continues to shine. As always, his drumming is tough and metronomic and he has no problem singing backing vocals when required. His stability is the rock around which Ist Ist's music is built.

The set is a little longer than Brighton's, with three additional songs – 'Discipline' from Architecture, 'It Stops When It Starts' from The Art Of Lying and 'Trapdoors', the closing track on Protagonists. They play a traditional encore and receive a rapturous reception from the Manchester crowd. From our position at the front we cannot see if the venue is completely full, but it looks pretty crowded and certainly more than a thousand tickets have been sold. It's a remarkable achievement, from a band who have made such remarkable achievementts seem ordinary. In the real world these things don't happen, but Ist Ist defy all odds and continue to grow in both stature and quality. Is there a plateau? We're not sure but we wouldn't bet against them.

On a personal note, having a chat with Andy before the gig he mentions the date the band have set aside to celebrate their tenth anniversary. Ist Ist will be playing Night and Day in Manchester on 16th January 2025, exactly ten years after they made their debut there. It's my birthday and on my birthday last year I wasn't sure if I would be celebrating another one. It's a double result then, ten years of Ist Ist and my surviving a shit year of illness and pain. I'll take that.

Set List: Lost in my Shadow, The Kiss, Stamp You Out, I Can't Wait For You, Black, Mary In The Black And White Room, Something Else, Discipline, Night's Arm, It Stops Where It Starts, XXX, Fool's Paradise, Repercussions, Dreams Aren't Enough, Something Has To Give, The Waves, What I Know, Trapdoors. Encore: Emily, Nothing More Nothing Less, Hope To Love Again, You're Mine, Ghost.