IST IST - Detail Huge Albert Hall Homecoming Show || Plus, Desperate Journalist + The Youth Play support
- Desh Kapur
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
IST IST
HUGE HOMECOMING SHOW AT
ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER
- FRIDAY 1 MAY 2026 -
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS…
DESPERATE JOURNALIST + THE YOUTH PLAY
CELEBRATING A DECADE IN MUSIC
+ THE RELEASE OF A BRAND NEW ALBUM
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
IST IST have announced a huge homecoming show in Manchester for 2026.
And in the wake of the announcement, the band are delighted to confirm support will come from special guests Desperate Journalist and The Youth Play.
Taking over the salubrious Albert Hall venue for one-night-only on Friday 1 May 2026, Ist Ist’s show at Albert Hall comes as they prepare to mark their 10th Anniversary together and prepare a brand new album for release.
Just out of the studio after finishing their keenly awaited fifth album (of which a handful of songs have already been peppered into the sets on their recent European shows), the Albert Hall show will be their biggest headline show so far and takes place over bank holiday weekend.
Tickets for their Manchester date are on general sale now. Priced at £26.00+BF.
Over the years, IST IST have forged a formidable reputation on word of mouth excitement, amassing a dedicated cult following in the process. Operating with a fierce northern DIY work ethic, the band have an ever-growing back catalogue of successful studio and live releases. Self-releasing their entire repertoire through their own Kind Violence Records label, the band’s output has been championed by BBC Radio 1 and BBC 6Music, Radio X, XS Manchester, KINK FM in the Netherlands, The Times and more.
Their acclaimed fourth record 'Light A Bigger Fire' reached 25th in the UK Official Album Charts in 2024, with John Robb praising the record as “glorious yet introspective 21st-century pop music” in a five star review on Louder Than War.
Taking the record out on the road last year, over 8,000 people across thirteen countries turned out in force at iconic venues such as the Paradiso in Amsterdam and New Century Hall in Manchester to support the band in what stands as one of their most successful European tours to date.
Riding this wave into 2025, IST IST returned to Europe for further dates including their SOLD OUT debut Italian shows, and subsequently released two live albums ‘ON FIRE’ and ‘Live In Italy’. The band are book-ending this year with a run of major shows back in the UK - in Leeds, Glasgow, London, and Birmingham across late November and December - as they celebrate their 10th year in business.
Returning to their home city in 2026, their Albert Hall show presents an unmissable opportunity to both revel in IST IST’s career high points, while getting the skinny on their eagerly awaited new album.
Joining the band for this special occasion will be special guests Desperate Journalist and The Youth Play.
London-based post-punk band Desperate Journalist formed in 2012. Fronted by vocalist Jo Bevan, alongside guitarist Rob Hardy, bassist Simon Drowner, and drummer Caroline Helbert, their intense live performances and emotionally charged sound has seen them draw comparisons to the likes of The Smiths and The Cure. Since their self-titled debut in 2014, they have been praised for both their uncompromising authenticity and their ability to evoke raw, timeless emotion. Follow-up ‘Grow Up’ (2017) expanded with richer melodies and vulnerability, whereas ‘In Search of the Miraculous’ (2019) embraced grandeur and sweeping emotion and ‘Maximum Sorrow!’ (2021) pushed darker, more atmospheric textures. With a devoted following loyal to this day, the band released their gripping fifth and most recent studio album 'NO HERO' last year.
The Youth Play are a London-based band fronted by Mexican-born Diego Bracho. Blending post-punk and shoegaze, their lyrics make a stand with politically charged themes of migration, identity, and climate crisis. Formed at ICMP, they channel multicultural influences into music that’s raw, urgent and unfiltered. Boasting an acclaimed live reputation along with comparisons to Interpol, Slowdive, and Fontaines DC, the band released their powerful new EP ‘someday, forever’ in 2025.
Supports - Left: The Youth Play // Right: Desperate Journalist
Speaking about what to expect from the Albert Hall show, IST IST say:
“Playing the Albert Hall in our home city is a bit of a pinch yourself moment for us but it's also the culmination of over ten years of hard work as a band. It'll be a big celebration for us and all our amazing fans who've been with us on this long and winding journey throughout the music industry, life, lockdowns and whatever else has been thrown at us along the way. We deserve it and they deserve it."
IST IST will play the following UK shows:
IST IST - 2025/26 TOUR DATES
Friday 28th November - Leeds - Warehouse
Saturday 29th November - Glasgow - Oran Mor
Friday 5th December - London - 229
Saturday 6th December - Birmingham - O2 Academy2
w/ Support from YAANG
Friday 1st May 2026 - Manchester - Albert Hall
w/ Support from DESPERATE JOURNALIST + THE YOUTH PLAY
Tickets for all shows on sale here:
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