Matt Berninger played Royale – 3/23
National frontman Matt Berninger’s tour behind second solo LP Get Sunk stopped by the Theatre District with support from Ronboy.
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As when any leader of a beloved and long-running band strikes out on their own, it’s impossible not to compare the solo project to the larger institution in the case of The National’s Matt Berninger. On both 2020’s Serpentine Prison and last summer’s Get Sunk, the ultra distinct baritone and the dense tangle of anxious and evocative lyrics are the pure, uncut Berninger we know and love, albeit without the weight and expectations of a festival-topping, arena headlining rock band. In short, the records feel like a lower-pressure space for Berninger to relax and run with ideas that don’t necessarily require a team of Dessners and Devendorfs. Last month’s Royale show felt much the same.
The National’s days of club shows are well behind them (the closest I ever got was catching them at Providence’s defunct Lupo’s nearly 13 years ago) and for many of the diehards in attendance, it could’ve been the smallest room they’d ever seen Berninger play. The size suited the show, which skewed intimate and conversational as Berninger and his band (composed of opener Ronboy and her backing band) took a leisurely stroll through both solo records plus a handful of new songs and covers.
Of the unreleased tunes, the delightfully-titled “Martini Me Fatso” proved a standout alongside Get Sunk highlights like the lilting and funny “Breaking Into Acting” and “Bonnet of Pins” – a particularly National-esque banger that employed a Berninger-favored tactic of climbing straight into the crowd for its climax. Amusingly enough, that moment came at the set’s conclusion directly after “Terrible Love,” the National song where he traditionally traverses the room; a funny little subversion for those well-versed in this kind of thing (which again, was probably most of the room). Boxer closer “Gospel” – which Berninger mentioned was written around the time of the war in Iraq and conjured a somewhat chilling resonance with the current moment in its “G.I. blood” refrain – also made a late-set appearance along with the ensemble’s effectively groovy take on the New Order classic “Blue Monday,” making for a well-rounded evening in the National extended universe.
Meanwhile, an opening set from Ronboy – AKA singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Julia Laws – spotlighted a strain of indie rock rife with dramatic flair. Check out a gallery from both acts below.
