IST IST

Post-punk Mancunians IST IST play at the arts centre on Weds 9th October for their ‘Light A Bigger Fire’ UK Tour!

Established in late 2014, Ist Ist have forged a formidable reputation on the back of uncompromising, intense live shows at prestigious Manchester venues such as The Ritz, Gorilla and The Deaf Institute. Through word of mouth, they have grown organically in size without label or management support to the point where they are outselling established touring bands.

Accompanying these live shows, the band have released a string of singles which received critical acclaim from independent publications and generated regular airplay from Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 6. Regularly drawing comparisons to post-punk royalty Joy Division and Interpol whilst being condemned as too ‘out there’ to be successful; through sheer determination, hard work and a bulging catalogue of songs, they continue to silence the doubters and move from strength to strength. Displaying an arrogance akin to the greatest Manchester bands, they are constructing their own mould rather than attempting to fit into one. It’s time to listen.

Official website ististmusic.com

Fresh off their biggest headline tour to date, IST IST announce their fourth album ‘Light A Bigger Fire’ along with brand new single ‘The Kiss’.

The first few months of 2024 has seen IST IST’s growing popularity expand further. Now a full-time band, they played to over 8,000 people across the UK and Europe including a first visit to Scandinavia and the sell-out signs going up at multiple German and Dutch shows including the 1,100 capacity Doornroosje in Nijmegen.

The atmospheric video for new single ‘The Kiss’ was filmed at the band’s four recent shows in the Netherlands and captures IST IST and the crowds in full flow.

‘Light A Bigger Fire’ will be the follow-up to ‘Protagonists’, which reached number 41 in the Official Album Chart on release in March 2023 as well as securing them their third set of top ten positions in the vinyl, independent and physical charts as well as the number one download in the week of release.

Frontman Adam Houghton is clear on what to expect from the album and from IST IST in the remainder of 2024 and beyond:

 “The album title isn’t cryptic in the slightest. Everything we’re doing and have been doing for a while now is going up a level. Live shows have always been our calling card but this record puts our studio output on a par with them. We played five of the new tracks on the recent tour and the reception they got told us that people are going to love this record.

We’ve always been proud of every album we’ve released but sometimes you come away and wonder whether you’ve left anything in the studio and whether you could have dragged something extra out of some of the songs. Not with this one. Right now this is the best version of us.”

Taking a typically bold step, the band have set up their own rehearsal studios, KVR Studios, on the outskirts of Manchester to enable them to focus fully on the band and have enlisted the production skills of Joe Cross, whose impressive CV features the likes of Courteeners, Hurts and Louis Tomlinson.

Established in late 2014, IST IST have forged a formidable reputation on word of mouth excitement at their uncompromisingly intense live shows, a fierce Mancunian DIY work ethic and an ever-growing back catalogue of successful studio and live releases, all self-released through their own Kind Violence Records imprint.

Their recent European and UK tours in March and April found them previewing tracks from ‘Light A Bigger Fire’ as well as their now extensive catalogue, and saw them play to over 8,000 people in nine countries. IST IST’s reach has already spread beyond the shores of the UK selling out prestigious venues in the Netherlands and Germany, bucking the trend of UK acts struggling in Europe post-Brexit.

With previous championing from BBC 6Music, Radio X, XS Manchester, KINK, The Times and more, brimming with confidence and their strongest body of work to date in their pocket, IST IST are set to light a bigger fire everywhere they go in 2024.