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Live music galleries

Live music galleries: Matt Berninger [2026]

Matt Berninger at Bronson Music Theatre, Ottawa, March 20th, 2026

Artist: Matt Berninger
When: March 20th, 2026
Where: Bronson Music Theatre, Ottawa
Context: I am interrupting this unplanned mini hiatus in posting* to share a few pics and thoughts of the show I saw on Friday night. My first concert of the year came courtesy of The National frontman and singer/songwriter, Matt Berninger. He announced a cross Canada solo tour with Canadian indie pop songstress Hannah Georgas back in December and I snapped a ticket for the Ottawa stop as soon they went on sale. Ever the showman, Berninger wooed and flirted and engaged with the sold out audience, equally impressing with his ability to make every audience member feel a part of the show, as with the quality of his vocal tones and always incredible narrative lyrics. He and his touring band (who were also integral in the recording of his latest solo album “Get sunk”) performed the entirely of that album, as well as a good part of his debut solo work “Serpentine prison”, before pleasing his National fans with a few tracks from that band’s extensive catalogue and a cover of New Order’s “Blue Monday”. Berninger also invited opener Hannah Georgas out to perform one of The National songs after previously joining her set to sing a song that they had written together during the pandemic. Not too shabby a way to spend the first night of spring at all.
Point of reference song: “Little by little”

Matt Berninger the crooner
Sean O’Brien on guitar
Bassist Garret Lang
Julia Laws and Sterling Laws
Matt and Sean
Matt duetting with Hannah Georgas
Matt Berninger and his band

*I’ll get back to our regularly scheduled programming soon.

Categories
Tunes

Eighties’ best 100 redux: #76 The Mission “Tower of strength” (1988)

<< #77    |    #75 >>

At track #76 is The Mission’s eight-minute epic single, “Tower of strength”.

The Mission (known as The Mission UK in North America) was formed by Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams after they left Sisters of Mercy due to a disagreement with frontman Andrew Eldritch before the recording of that band’s second album. In fact, a handful of songs that appeared on The Mission’s debut album, “God’s own medicine”, were written by Hussey and were meant to be recorded as Sisters of Mercy songs.

I was introduced to The Mission by my friend Tim (who incidentally also introduced me to Sisters of Mercy and a bunch of other Goth and Industrial bands) back in high school. It all started when he included their track, “Deliverance”, as part of a mix on the back side of a cassette tape on which he had recorded The Wonder Stuff’s second album “Hup” for me. Speaking of the Stuffies, they have a Mission connection, too. If my memory serves, the story behind their “Mission drive” track is that Wayne Hussey (a friend of Miles Hunt) invited The Wonder Stuff out to tour with them, which, in effect, saved them from breaking up before their time. Anyway, “Deliverance” only served to pique my interest in The Mission and was immediately usurped as my favourite track by them when I heard “Tower of strength”.

This single, which comes from the band’s second album “Children”, encapsulates the dark and epic beauty of The mission’s music at that point in their career. Wayne Hussey’s soul crunching vocals just soar over the strumming guitars that underpin the entire eight minutes. The video below is for the radio edited version, which is only half as good (because it is half as long) as the album version, but you’ll get the picture.

Original Eighties best 100 position: 79

Favourite lyric: “You are all passion and heart / When I lay in your embrace / And heaven is in your kiss / Salvation lies just a touch away” …oh so dark and romantic.

Where are they now?: The Mission are now currently on their second reunion, this time with three of the four original members. The have released two albums and toured a number of times since reforming in 2013.

For the rest of the Eighties’ best 100 redux list, click here.

Categories
Vinyl

Vinyl love: Robert Ascroft “Echo still remains”

(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)

Artist: Robert Ascroft
Album Title: Echo still remains
Year released: 2025
Details: Special edition, custard vinyl

The skinny: Do you have a favourite record label? One that you swear by, trust, and pretty much love everything it releases? For a while in the 2000s, Arts & Crafts* was that for me. Into the 2010s, it was Paper Bag Records**. And now, it seems to be Hand Drawn Dracula***. Incidentally, all of these have been Toronto-based but not coincidentally, all have been locked into one scene or another, what was hot and new and seemed to be making music just for me. Early last year, Hand Drawn Dracula announced they were releasing the debut solo album of photographer/producer Robert Ascroft. I gave it a go, like I seem to do for all their releases of late, and quickly fell for its dark and cinematic sound and wonderful cast of guest vocalists (just check out that hype sticker). I purchased this special edition, custard yellow pressing off of the label’s Bandcamp site, and further spins drove me to place “Echo still remains” at number eight on my Best albums of the year list for 2025.

Standout track: “Empty pages (feat. Zumi Rosow)”

*Home to Broken Social Scene, Stars, Dan Mangan, etc.

**Home to Austra, Young Galaxy, The Rural Alberta Advantage, etc.

***Home to No Joy, Breeze, Tallies, etc.