IST IST - Release "Makes No Difference" || From Upcoming 'DAGGER' Album - out 2026
- Desh Kapur
- 14 hours ago
- 3 min read
IST IST
RELEASE NEW SINGLE:
“MAKES NO DIFFERENCE”
WATCH VIDEO HERE
PLUS, EXPAND UK TOUR DATES IN 2026
UPCOMING FIFTH ALBUM:
‘DAGGER’
OUT 6 FEBRUARY, VIA KIND VIOLENCE RECORDS
“Makes No Difference” is the new single from IST IST.
Like a secret love song written in an authoritarian state, the latest from Manchester’s finest post-punk flagbearers is writhing with themes of hidden feelings and forbidden fruits.
“They’ll never get the best of us, you’re not really somebody we can trust” sings Adam Houghton, his voice low and foreboding. Delivered with a score of clashing guitars and frenetic synths, “Makes No Difference” is tense, raw, and exhilarating to the core. Of the track, IST IST explain:
“Makes no difference is largely about lust and desire, the forbidden apple. It’s hard to say exactly in what form, When you're drawn to something with almost no control, you can try and try but in the end, it makes no difference".
The single is accompanied by a disorientating video directed by Shaolin Pete, featuring the band surrounded by twisting daggers hung in suspense. Do not try to recreate this one at home, but you can watch it here:
“Makes No Difference” arrives following a stretch of sold out European shows, in which the band gave the track its live premiere to over 3,000 fans in Italy and the Netherlands to a rabid response. With the European tour now wrapped up, last week IST IST announced they will be hitting the road again in April 2026, adding a slew of new UK shows in Norwich, Exeter, Oxford, Newcastle, Sheffield, Nottingham, Bristol, and Brighton. The shows will all pave the way for their biggest hometown show to date, at Manchester’s Albert Hall in May. All dates are listed below, with all tickets on sale now.
Speaking about the upcoming tour, IST IST state:
"Taking 'DAGGER' on the road is something we've been building up to for a long time, even before we'd finished recording and named it. Our ambition with this album was to create songs primarily suited to the live environment, ones that would excite us to play live and we're sure our love for them is being passed on to the crowds. We've been playing a handful each night on our recent European run and they're being greeted with the same enthusiasm as our older tracks… The tour is going to be our most extensive yet and even a decade in it's cool to be playing places such as Oxford and Exeter for the first time. Then of course the big homecoming show in Manchester. There'll be a lot of memorable nights for sure.”
New single “Makes No Difference” is further evidence of the hungry, anthemic quality to expect from the band’s highly anticipated, Joe Cross (Hurts, Courteeners, Slow Readers Club) produced fifth album ‘DAGGER’ - which arrives on 6 February 2026.
Catch IST IST marking their decade long career and playing new music from ‘DAGGER’ at the following UK shows:
IST IST - 2025/26 EUROPE & UK TOUR DATES
Friday 28th November - Leeds - Warehouse
Saturday 29th November - Glasgow - Oran Mor
Friday 5th December - London - 229
Saturday 6th December - Birmingham - O2 Academy2
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THURSDAY 9th APRIL - NORWICH - THE WATERFRONT ** JUST ADDED **
SATURDAY 11th APRIL - EXETER PHOENIX ** JUST ADDED **
SUNDAY 12th APRIL - OXFORD - 02 ACADEMY2 ** JUST ADDED **
THURSDAY 16th APRIL - NEWCASTLE - THE GROVE ** JUST ADDED **
SATURDAY 18th APRIL - SHEFFIELD • NETWORK ** JUST ADDED **
THURSDAY 23rd APRIL - NOTTINGHAM • RESCUE ROOMS ** JUST ADDED **
FRIDAY 24th APRIL - BRISTOL - THEKLA ** JUST ADDED **
SATURDAY 25th APRIL - BRIGHTON - QUARTERS ** JUST ADDED **
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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