Disgusting Sisters at The Rat and Pigeon, Manchester: live review and photo gallery

After the raving reception of their debut single ‘Killing it‘, Anglo-French sister act Disgusting Sisters have managed to continue lingering in the peripheral eyesight of the UK’s alternative music scene. The duo have received relentless recognition amongst the UK’s most prolific, having been spotted by BBC Introducing to play at 2024’s Reading and Leeds Festival, as well as having their song ‘TGIF’ played by Pulp‘s very own Jarvis Cocker during a DJ set in Glastonbury that same year. Currently, the techno pop-rock pair are travelling across the UK for their first ever headlining tour, and stopped off at Manchester’s famous gig space, the Rat and Pigeon, to show exactly why the UK’s music scene should be paying even more attention to them.

Donning their matching outfits and sunglasses, Disgusting Sisters climbed the stage at the Rat and Pigeon to begin their set. The duo had their backs turned to the audience whilst an unnamed misogynist ranted on the overhead speakers, the guitars and the anticipation ascending until the excitement reached a pinnacle, with the sexist man calling the pair “disgusting”. The band opened with their first song ‘Sorry Mister’, an unrecorded track written by the sister act. With their candid lyricism and choreographed dance moves, the pair uses their opening song as an unflinching and unapologetic response to criticism, confessing that they’re “really not that bothered” about what others have to say about them. A tribute to the sisters’ pact to remain true to themselves in spite of the rampant misogyny in the UK’s music scene, ‘Sorry Mister’ was an assertive and strong track to begin their gig with.

The second song performed by Disgusting Sisters was their debut single ‘Killing it’. Their first ever track delivers as a lovechild of Wet Leg and Lily Allen, with the catchy guitar riffs and brazen lyrics fighting it’s way to the forefront to be the next indie rock anthem in the UK. The lyrics are abrasive in the face of criticism, saying “everyone lives by the quote, but they’re not doing shit.” ‘Killing it’ as a second track on their set doubles down on the duo’s brazen lack of care for criticism, solidifying their presence on the stage as a confident pair to watch in the next few years.

Although the pair had showcased their playful and lively energy prior, Disgusting Sisters had ramped up the crowd interaction by their 5th song of the set. Jules began to introduce the 5th track by saying “I have a confession about this next song…We have a backlog of all of our cringey exes. Who here has a cringey ex?”. After the majority of the crowd raised their hands, the catchy guitar riff started for their unrecorded song ‘Not Cool’. Disgusting Sisters urged the crowd to sing along to their main motif of “You’re not cool” as a middle finger to every pretentious ex on their own personal backlog. Humorous and relatable, ‘Not Cool’ was a perfect middle track for their setlist to reignite the crowd’s excitement.

Disgusting Sisters used their final tracks of their set to demonstrate why exactly they have pioneered the techno pop-punk fusion in the past couple years. Their club night song ‘TGIF‘ was one of the final songs played, using the comedic wolf backing noise to demonstrate the horrors of a 9-5 job. ‘TGIF’ speaks true to the relatable mundanity of working with no reward throughout the week, and then making horrible decisions that very same weekend. The party anthem from the sister act radiated chaos through the audience and the crowd flocked to boogie along with the duo. Their final song, ‘Calvin Klein’ carried this energy through until the very end of the set, with the rave-style beat allowing the pair to come into the crowd and dance with the crowd, forcing the set to reach nothing more than a lively and exciting end.

Overall, Disgusting Sisters proved themselves to be one to look out for in the UK’s music scene at the Rat and Pigeon. With their stellar crowd interaction, choreography, and catchy confessional lyricism, the sisters certainly left the crowd with the lingering curiosity of what this techno pop-punk fusion act will get up to next. Look no further if Disgusting Sisters’ anthems have won you over, as Manchester is not their final stop on their headlining tour: Their final stop for their tour will be in Cardiff, and they will surely perform many tours to come in future if you don’t manage to make it. However, with full confidence, it is guaranteed that Disgusting Sisters are not one to miss!