IST IST Plays Rescue Rooms
“Tide washes over me. Tide washes over me. I’ve been wrong before, I’ll be wrong again.”- IST IST
After seeing IST IST play at Rescue Rooms on Thursday, I was reminded of a word: motorik. A German word for “motor skill,” it’s a term that’s heavily associated with Krautrock bands. Kraftwerk’s pioneering ‘Autobahn’ utilized this 4/4, driving beat (like an engine) in an attempt to convey the feeling of driving on the German motorway.
Bands like Neu!, Kraftwerk, and later, Einstürzende Neubauten, were the antithesis of American soul music and a symptom of cultural alienation that enveloped a confused and divided post-war Germany. In Manchester, bands like Joy Division (a name taken from Nazi history - a desire to provoke and confront the past) were doing similar things, as they sought to rage against the great industrial machine.
Also from Manchester, Ist Ist are continuing that legacy; their influences are very apparent, but it isn’t imitation - at least not to where it interferes with artistic expression. Their sound is austere, emotionally derelict, compact and enigmatic. They got their name from an Einstürzende Neubauten song.
Starting at 21:00 pm sharp, IST IST opened with an anthem from their latest album, Light a Bigger Fire, ‘Lost My Shadow’. This latest album reached the top 40 official charts, peaking at 25.
There were about 100 people at the venue throughout the night. About 80% of them were 40+ years of age. As a 33-year-old audience member, I felt a little outnumbered and wondered whether I had any right to even enjoy this music. It is ultimately a ridiculous thought, and anyway, in typical fashion, the younger audiences showed up late.
IST IST’s aura was incalculable. I was helpless - we were helpless - the light bouncing off many a-bald heads was helpless.
IST IST is dressed in industrial pain and economic depression, yet singer Adam Houghton, with his baritone voice, sings about things concerning the human soul. Longing, loving, losing, death, defeat, losing one’s shadow - all these eternal, complicated themes are told through beautiful simplicity. His lyrics are never dull, never unintentional, never filler or fluff.
The band’s chemistry held sheer symmetry, with almost perfect arrangements. A cliched, yet correct, expression again reminded me that a band is nothing without a good drummer. Joel Kay (drummer) is like a fearsome, never-ending engine, but one who understands the intricacies of dynamics. Adam Keating (bass) had an extroverted personality in his playing as well as when speaking with the audience, while Mat Peters (guitar/synthesisers) was the band’s ingenious technician.
Perhaps it was an irrational thought: among the older punks, goths and the in-betweenness, were there skinheads or was it just the fateful marching of time which none of us can escape (loss of hair)? The impeccable machinery of the band made me wonder if we can have music without soul Are human beings better off as apolitical, shadowless, and amoral? We have a tendency to dehumanise the enemy.
These were all futile thoughts I had at Thursday’s concert. One thing for sure though, IST IST IS the next step in the evolution of post-punk.
IST IST are currently on tour in support of their latest album, Light a Bigger Fire. They are being supported by the Cucamaras
19th Oct. - New Century - Manchester, UK
1st Nov. - Whitby Pavilion - Whitby, UK
4th Nov. - SPOT/De Oosterpoort - Groningen, NE
5th Nov. - Luxor - Cologne, DE
For more information, visit their website at https://www.ististmusic.com/