Rough Trade Nottingham feels more intimate than usual tonight, with bodies packed shoulder‑to‑shoulder and buzzing with the kind of anticipation that only comes with a long‑awaited return. As It Is are back with their new self‑titled album, their first release since 2022, and the room carries that shared understanding that this isn’t just another in‑store, it’s something that many fans thought they would never see - a chance to see As It Is again and what the band look like in this new era...
Fans clutch fresh vinyl, compare favourite deep cuts, and speculate about how these new songs will hit live. When As It Is step out, the atmosphere sharpens instantly. This performance feels less like a promo stop and more like a re‑introduction: a band choosing intimacy over spectacle, connection over distance, and Rough Trade becomes the perfect crucible for that energy.
It wasn’t lost on the band and the crowd alike, just how much these run of live in-store shows mean; there was a time where As It Is didn’t look like they would ever return to the stage, let alone write and release a new album. Since 2022, the band have been on a hiatus that had no real end point; lead vocalist Patty Walters stepped away from music entirely, only to rediscover the part of himself he thought he had lost, before reuniting with Ben Biss on guitar and vocals, Patrick Foley on drums and Alistair Testo on bass, as an updated line up.
Running straight into the light and head first into a run of new songs, opening with Ruin My Life, I’m So Alive!, Do You Remember? and Live, Laugh, Love, Los Angeles, before slowing down the vibe with Last at the Party, Turn to Dust and Marilyn. Lose Your Way & Find Yourself closed out the first half of the set, poetically as the first single released from the self titled record, which signalled the return of the Brighton based foursome.
The second half of the set was a true throwback; continuing the reignited energy with Okay and Cheap Shots & Setbacks from early albums okay. and Never Happy, Ever After. A revisit to 2018’s The Great Depression album followed, with fan favourites The Reaper, The Great Depression, The Wounded World and The Stigma (Boys Don't Cry) bringing back the old school late 2010’s emo atmosphere.
The set finished on the song As It Is are best known for: Dial Tones, one of the defining early tracks that launched them from a rising UK pop‑punk act into a band with international momentum. The room rang out with the crowd singing “All we ever share are dial tones” back at the band at the tops of their voices. It was a catharsis and a homecoming for everyone there.
A short signing session followed where fans got to meet the band and get their various pieces of merchandise signed, before heading out into the warm Nottingham night. With an upcoming run of headline shows later this year, and fresh off the back of the release of the album, As It Is are clearly revitalised and ready to show the world what they’ve been missing.
As It Is performed at Rough Trade on 22 July 2026.
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
