Manchester band Ist Ist have launched a community studio space in response to the shock closure of Brunswick Mill.
After the Brunswick Mill rehearsal spaces closed earlier this month, the band took action building their own community studio space in Nile Mill A in Oldham. KVR Studios aims to offer a space to creatives in the city who have been evicted from Brunswick Mill and similar spaces. The studio will boast nine rehearsal rooms, a blackout photo studio for photoshoots and videos, storage areas and 24 hour access.
Ist Ist had used Brunswick Mill since 2018 alongside countless artists from across Manchester. In response to the closure they quit their day jobs and have decided to establish their own rehearsal rooms.
Speaking about the upcoming opening in early April 2023, Andy Keating of Ist Ist explained, “This is the second time we’ve been in this situation, as I’m sure a lot of other bands have been. Instead of becoming a tenant elsewhere and potentially having to share a room with other bands which brings its own logistical headaches, we decided to establish KVR Studios, named after our label Kind Violence Records. We want our space to be somewhere where bands and artists want to hang out and for it to be an aspirational place to rehearse, write and create.”
The news comes as Ist Ist prepare to hit the road for a run of UK headline shows including a Manchester gig at the O2 Ritz.
The Manchester gig marks the launch of Ist Ist’s upcoming third album Protagonists.
When do Ist Ist headline at Manchester’s O2 Ritz?
Ist Ist headline at the O2 Ritz Manchester on 31 March 2023. The Manchester gig is one of 10 dates they are playing across March and April:
31 March – Manchester, O2 Ritz
4 April – Leeds, Oporto (Crash Records Instore)
5 April – Kingston, Fighting Cocks (Banquet Records Instore)
13 April – Glasgow, King Tut’s
14 April – Newcastle, The Cluny
15 April – Nottingham, Bodega
20 April – Birmingham, Hare and Hounds
21 April – Bristol, Thekla
22 April – London, Omeara
29 April – Whitby, Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival
