Live Review: ist ist - O2 Ritz, Manchester 31/03/2023
Manchester post-punk mainstays ist ist return to Manchester’s O2 Ritz for a well deserved headline show in support of their new album Protagonists.
As far as cities go, Manchester seems to spawn an unproportionally high number of bands in comparison to others around the UK. While some of these bands are more than happy to rest on their city’s laurels, imitating what many consider the sound of its musical heyday, there are plenty others keen to keep their city’s reputation as a creative hotbed alive.
One of those bands is IST IST. And tonight proves something of a milestone both for the band, and indeed their fans, as they celebrate the release of the third album Protagonists with their first headline show at Manchester’s iconic O2 Ritz.
We arrive just as Liverpool’s Bandit take to the stage, unfortunately meaning we miss relative newcomers to the scene Dr Dr. From the foyer, Bandit sound like your typical cut and paste indie rock but upon entering the venue proper, it’s clear that there’s much more to it than that. Harbouring a level of weight and intensity not dissimilar to bands such as Fontaines DC, they manage to balance that with a combination of melody and pop sensibility. And though the sound does on occasion feel somewhat muddied, the joy evident on the band’s face as they rattle through their set more than makes up for it. Ending with ‘Mean Streak’ the track’s a fitting closer, and feels bigger and more encompassing than much of what’s come before it. A band well worth keeping an eye on, they leave the stage safe in the knowledge that they’re sure to have won over at least a few new fans this evening.
A quick half hour changeover provides just enough time for an obligatory cigarette and a trip to the bar. Its here we note that the venue isn’t perhaps as full as one would have expected, though its trademark heat and high bar prices are as present as ever. Any worries regarding capacity are soon put to rest, however. As the band walk out on stage a little after 9pm, they’re silhouetted under trademark dramatic lighting, deep red for now, and launch immediately into ‘Stamp You Out’.
The first track to be taken from the aforementioned new album Protagonists, it’s a bold statement of intent from the four-piece; a buzzsaw bass and clattering percussion providing the perfect bottom end above which understated lead guitar skitters and synths swirl to create a wall of noise that’s as encompassing as it is impressive.
Lazy Joy Division comparisons have dogged IST IST since their inception, and while early material might well lean that way, the band’s expansion has allowed their subsequent material to expand likewise, to diversify. And in doing so hopefully shrug off such comparisons.
Elsewhere other new material such as ‘Mary in the Black and White Room’ and recent single ‘Nothing More Nothing Less’ fit in effortlessly beside more established tracks such as ‘Jennifer’s Lips’ and ‘Fat Cats Drown In Milk’. Indeed, it’s not just on stage in which the new tracks fit effortlessly. It’s clear looking at the crowd below that each one is as well received as older material.
In true IST IST fashion, there’s little in the way of crowd interaction. Each of the four members just allowing their musicianship to say everything that’s needed, though bassist Andy Keating does, on occasion, step forward to acknowledge both the crowd and tonight’s achievement.
And it is an achievement. While the venue might not be at capacity, the band’s sound and indeed the crowd’s fervour do more than enough to fill the room. And it’s a deserved fervour. Many of those in attendance this evening have seen IST IST grow from a DIY trio playing across the city’s spit and sawdust venues into the fully fledged outfit they are today, and as such there’s a sense of pride emanating not just from the band on stage, but also from those of us gathered to watch.
It's also a fervour that builds alongside the band’s set, as tracks such as ‘Heads On Spike’ and the aforementioned ‘Nothing More Nothing Less’ build to a natural crescendo, culminating in ‘Trapdoors’ before the band leave the stage to walls of wailing feedback.
Of course, it doesn’t take long before they appear once again for an obligatory encore. On this occasion, four tracks that almost tip an already ecstatic crowd over the edge. ‘Emily’ comes first. A sprawling five-minute slow burner that builds to a dramatic conclusion. Elsewhere, ‘Extreme Greed’ and ‘You’re Mine’ draw the encore out further, while a dramatic finale in the form of ‘Slowly We Escape’ from their debut album brings proceedings to an ambitious close.
For those that followed the band for years, from pokey basement rooms to gradually better surroundings, tonight feels like vindication, and while it seems like IST IST have been a staple of Manchester’s music scene for years now, tonight is proof that they’re only really just getting started.
Words by Dave Beech
Photos by Sinead Ferguson
