There’s a certain kind of band that doesn’t so much chase reinvention as refine a mood, sanding it down, polishing it, and presenting it anew until it gleams with quiet confidence. IST IST fall firmly into that camp—and tonight that philosophy paid off in spades.
Let’s address the easy critique first: yes, IST IST operate within a clearly defined sonic palette. But where some might hear repetition, their growing Glasgow crowd heard consistency—an assurance that each track would deliver that familiar, brooding warmth. It’s the kind of sound that doesn’t demand attention so much as envelop it, wrapping the room in a dark, magnetic glow.
Frontman Adam Houghton remains the band’s lynchpin. In a crowded indie landscape, truly distinctive voices are rare currency, but Houghton’s baritone—somewhere in the lineage of Joy Division’s spectral cool and Editors’ arena-ready melancholy—cuts through instantly. Importantly, though, this is no exercise in nostalgia. IST IST aren’t echoing their influences; they’re bending them into something unmistakably their own.
They arrived with a swagger that suggested belief rather than bravado—closer in spirit to Conor McGregor’s self-assured strut than outright showboating, but tempered with the quiet intelligence you might associate with Brian Cox. It’s a combination that suits them: confident, composed, and entirely aware of the strength of their material.
That material is stacking up quickly. Their fifth album in as many years, DAGGER, loomed large over the setlist. Written on the road during their last tour, it carries a restless energy—huge electronic textures and pulsing rhythms that flirt, intriguingly, with danceability without sacrificing their signature gloom. Live, those tracks didn’t just hold up; they thrived, slotting seamlessly alongside older favourites.
Support came from The Youth Play, who faced the classic challenge of warming up a Friday night Glasgow crowd. Their shoegaze-leaning set, delivered with heads bowed and eyes fixed firmly on pedalboards, gradually won over the room. There was an early buzz around them, and by the end, they’d earned their place in the evening’s narrative.
When IST IST took to the stage just after 8:15, it was all silhouettes and stark backlighting—no fuss, no theatrics, just atmosphere. A slightly surprising lack of a sell-out crowd meant space near the front for the bold, but those present made their voices heard. Opening with “Encouragement” and “Warning Signs,” the band wasted no time establishing control.
A 22-song set somehow felt fleeting, propelled by both the quality of the material and the restless energy of a Glasgow Friday night. Tracks like “Mary in the Black and White Room” and “Fat Cats Drown in Milk” showcased their evocative lyrical edge and delivered in Houghton’s hypnotic near-monotone.
By the time “You’re Mine” came in like a wrecking ball at the end of the main set—I’m willing to bet that IST IST have NEVER been mentioned in the same breath as Miley Cyrus before —it was clear the crowd was fully invested. The encore pairing of “I Am the Fear” and “Stamp You Out” sealed the deal, wrapping things up before 10pm and sending fans out into the Glasgow rain and into the refuge of one of the many pubs in the west to pour over the triumphant gig they’d jiust witnessed.
So, do the new tracks translate live?
Absolutely. Eight songs from DAGGER weaved through the set without friction, reinforcing rather than disrupting the band’s identity. The “samey” argument lingers, but it misses the point. IST IST have a formula, yes—but it’s a strong one, and like any good recipe, it allows for subtle variation without losing its core flavour.
They may still be one ingredient away from a full breakthrough moment, but on this evidence, they’re getting dangerously close. A cracking gig, in a cracking venue, with a cracking crowd—just another Friday night in Glasgow, elevated by a band who know exactly who they are.
Review and Photographs by John Brown Photography
