Meet HENGE: The British "Alien" Rave Band Landing in Istanbul
British cosmic rave band HENGE play their first Türkiye show at Blind, Beyoğlu on 7 November 2026. What to expect, new music, tickets and practical info.
Nate
Published 1 November 2026 · 👁 22 views
HENGE are a four-piece from Manchester who have spent the last ten years insisting they're from another planet. They play a mix of rave, electronic music and prog rock, they perform in costume, and they stay in character all night. On Saturday 7 November they're playing Blind in Beyoğlu.
Who Are HENGE?
The band formed in 2015. On stage they're Zpor, the singer, plus Goo, Grok and Nom, two of them in full alien masks. The story they tell, in interviews as well as at gigs, is that they've come to Earth to cheer humans up.
They built their following on the UK festival circuit, and in 2018 the Independent Festival Awards named them Live Act of the Year. Asked about it at the time, Zpor said his species had never seen an award before.
What Is Cosmic Dross?
That's what HENGE call their music. It's also the name of their first EP and of their record label.
In plainer terms: big basslines and dance beats, with synths and long, spacey guitar parts on top. Some tracks build like a DJ set, others drift towards 1970s prog. Between songs, the characters chat to the crowd as if they've only just discovered our species.
New Music: From Voltus B to HUMANS
Their last album, Journey to Voltus B (January 2025), was a concept record about a trip to a distant planet. On the vinyl, one side has two separate grooves, so the story ends differently depending on where the needle drops.
The next one, HUMANS, comes out on 29 January 2027, and this time the subject is us. The first single, Brains, came out at the end of October. It's one of their more dance-floor tracks, rave and electro over a heavy bassline, and the band call it an ode to the human brain. Other songs on the album include Sapiens in Space and You Are… Capable of Greatness.
Get to Know Their Music
If you've never heard them, start here:
The Brains video and live clips on the HENGE YouTube channel
Brains on your streaming app: ffm.to/henge-brains
Albums and singles on Bandcamp
Official website: hengemusic.com
HENGE Live in Istanbul
Istanbul comes right after Sofia (4 November) and Athens (6 November), ahead of a bigger world tour next year.
Blind is on Şehbender Sokak in Asmalımescit, a few minutes' walk from Şişhane metro and İstiklal. A lot of visiting indie and electronic acts play there.
Date: Saturday, 7 November 2026
Time: 20:30
Venue: Blind İstanbul, Şehbender Sokak No:3, Asmalımescit, Beyoğlu
Getting there: M2 metro to Şişhane, then a few minutes on foot
Age limit: 18+
Tickets: 750 TL as of 1 November
It's 18+, so bring photo ID. Tickets aren't refundable, and there's no flash photography.
Going with friends? Asmalımescit is full of places to eat, so it's easy to have dinner first and walk over.
Organizing an event in Istanbul? Partner with Smileys.
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