An autumn Monday at Nalen offered a long-awaited return. The Manchester band WU LYF—who disappeared completely after their acclaimed debut album Go Tell Fire to the Mountain—are finally back with new music and a tour.

The band’s style remains their signature “Heavy Pop”, where reverb-drenched organs meet the singer’s raw, rasping vocals. The new material has more space and breadth than the raw debut, providing great dynamics throughout the evening. The new music built up the atmosphere in a way that made old classics like Heavy Pop, We Bros, and Spittin Blood hit with even more power when they erupted.

The singer took the stage in a jacket and scarf, introduced the band early on, and performed the new favorite Love Your Fate near the start of the set.

The night’s best moment came before what was supposed to be the final song. A firm shout of “Concrete Gold” from the crowd made the singer pause. He explained that they played it in Oslo recently and hadn’t planned on running it tonight, but that the call made them change their mind on the spot.

After thunderous applause, the band came back out for an encore and played Wave—another favorite from the new record—along with a couple more songs. By that point, the singer was shirtless. He made his way all the way to the edge of the stage, leaned over the barrier, and shared a genuine and intimate moment with the front rows as he sang on. It was a raw and authentic finish where the distance between stage and audience completely disappeared. An incredibly great show that showed the band’s comeback is the real deal.