Howling Bells
Howling Bells, The Roebucks
Howling Bells @ Deaf Institute, Manchester, UK, March 15, 2026,
Mar 16, 2026
Photography by Andy Von Pip
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It’s hard to believe this is Howling Bells’ first full UK tour in 12 years. Their new album, Strange Life, feels like they simply picked up where they left off. Fans were out in force at Manchester’s Deaf Institute, with a mix of old stalwarts who were there from the start and younger fans only now discovering just how good this band really is. Not surprising, given the strength of their output over the years.
I’ve seen them plenty of times over the years, and I don’t think they’ve ever sounded better. Frontwoman Juanita Stein still has the power to hypnotise as she sways around the stage, lost in the moment, while her brother Joel Stein proves why he’s considered one of the most exciting and innovative guitarists in the business.
Brighton band The Roebucks set the tone brilliantly, opening the night with a set full of musicality and bluesy Americana, including some incredible drumming from Sophie Moloney.
Howling Bells kicked off the evening with “Blessed Night” from their classic 2006 self-titled debut album, and the pace never let up. New songs like “Unbroken,” the visceral “Sacred Land,” “Angel” (a song about resilience and a subtle fuck-you to a controlling ex), and “Heavy Lifting,” along with “Melbourne,” fit perfectly alongside older classics such as “Setting Sun” and “Cities Burning Down.” Throw in the propulsive rush of “The Night Is Young,” a beautiful rendition of “Your Love,” and finish the main set with the explosive previous single “Sweet Relief,” and you have a perfectly curated set list.
Mind you, you can’t play every song, and one vocal fan was so desperate for “Velvet Girl” that Joel Stein laughingly asked if he’d like the microphone. With that fan favourite and classics like “Broken Bones,” “Into the Chaos,” and “Original Sin” missing from the setlist, it only served to highlight what an incredible back catalogue the band have.
Just when it seemed they were done, the encore saw Juanita introduce their “first ever cover,” only to be reminded by fans that they once covered Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” This time they delivered a haunting version of Neil Diamond’s “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon,” before closing a perfect, dare-I-say ‘blessed’ night with the ragged, driving glory of “Low Happening.”
Judging by how much fun the band looked like they were having, we surely won’t have to wait another 12 years to catch them again.
Set List
1. Blessed Night
2. Unbroken
3. Cities Burning Down
4. Nightingale
5. Melbourne
6. Setting Sun
7. Angel
8. Sacred Land
9. Looking Glass
10. The Night Is Young
11. Your Love
12. Heavy Lifting
13. Sweet Relief
Encore:
14. Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon (Neil Diamond cover)
15. Low Happening
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