A new venue for me tonight, visiting Holmfirth Picturedrome, IST IST supporting, followed by The Slow Readers Club. This is already a shoe in on the best gig of the year shortlist. Not least for the reason that as you walk in you’re met with a gorgeous space, a big wide sloping room with two mezzanine tiers wrapped around the sides and the obligatory sticky floor. It’s proper. Plus the pint pots have handles! It ticks every box, but how does it sound? Well if you want a band to test your set up, it’s IST IST. Right from the start they go for the jugular. They’ve always been powerful, but on every encounter I’m reminded what a force they are. There’s clearly a bit of crossover in the fan base with plenty of shirts from both bands in the crowd and arms are raised as they release the monolithic ‘Black’. It’s always stunning, but coming out so early in a set it hits hard. It’s ‘Extreme Greed’ that gets me every time though. Those synths married with the rhythm and Adam’s vocal all brought together in utter perfection. If I’ve got a favourite, it’s this. It’s a close call though with ‘Emily’ that taps into that rich vein of songs of unrequited love and delivered with such mournful tones, it cuts to the bone. The synths are back for ‘Nothing More Nothing Less’ and it’s clear that the newer songs have grown in stature in the recent months on tour, with the band once again growing in confidence. It’s a hit and run set, blasting through the breakneck ‘Your Mine’ with Andy’s bass making my ears buzz, before closing out with ‘Trapdoors’. Half an hour and done. No fluff. Just balls out bassy bangers. Fucking brilliant.
Readers have quite an act to follow, but as things get cozy and the customary Donna Summer disco banger kicks in to introduce them. There’s an instant sense of confident expectation. The heat increase is palpable as the electro squelch of ‘Modernise’ permeates our ears. The lights sear and the room hits the euphoria synonymous with Readers gigs. They are just like a club or perhaps more accurately a church. The crowd is pivotal. You’re not just here for the band, you’re here to be lifted along with hundreds of other souls who feel the same about these songs as you do. There’s majesty in these notes. ‘The Wait’ feels understated as it starts, but has epic unpinning it and as it builds we really are “all that matters”. “Let’s hear you” says Aaron as he turns the mic on us for ‘Plant The Seed’ and we oblige as only a Readers audience can. It’s pure unity. This is why I keep coming back again and again and why the Readers are such an important band. They remind us of the purpose and brilliance of music. Of its transportive possibilities and of how hard work can build a connection you can trust. The bass tone of ‘Everything I Own’ always sounds amazing live, but it also gives Aaron the chance to show off that beautiful range before building to the indie pop perfection they so effortless deliver. If I ever add a Readers tattoo to the collection, it’s gonna be ‘Forever in Your Debt’. Stunning lyrics wrapped in a soul punching sound. It’s the one that always gets me singing, gets me dancing, helps me lose myself in pure joy. Aaron spreads his arms and the mirrorball lights up for ‘Afterlife’ and well yeah I’m losing all capability to put this into words. Biblical. It’s a cinematic sound and they direct us through a gorgeous set. Packed with heavy hitters like ‘You Opened Up My Heart’ and the sublime melancholy of ‘Lay Your Troubles On Me’. Before a Mexican wave sweeps the room for ‘All I Hear’ and I lift my head to the ceiling singing the chorus as the disco beat wallops and notice the beautifully detail roof. Seriously, stunning venue. They close with ‘Feet on Fire’ as we all stomp along with Aaron and as a ‘I saw A Ghost’ kicks off the encore this venue is unrecognisable as the one I walked in to. Details, space, a sense of place are all trivialities and simply don’t matter. After explaining their recent Twitter issues they rip into ‘Knowledge Freedom Power‘ with some irony, before sending us back on to the picturesque Holmfirth streets with ‘Lunatic’. The band take a bow and we collect our breath. Spectacular from both bands from beginning to end.
