The Panic Manual

Concert Review: Miki Berenyi Trio, October 15, The Great Hall

Posted on

18 Oct 2025

Paul

Touring in support of their debut album Tripla, the Miki Berenyi Trio took to the stage at The Great Hall on Wednesday night – though for a minute there, Berenyi herself thought it was a Tuesday. Blaming either age or the rigours of touring for the mix-up, she ultimately settled on the latter. Day of the week aside, it was a night longtime fans had been eagerly anticipating, as Berenyi returned to our fair city for the first time in several years – quite possibly for the last time.

Citing the difficulties of touring and the excessive costs involved, Berenyi has announced that this will be the Trio’s final North American tour. And while that might be a bit disappointing, it’s also entirely understandable.

Still, if this was to be her last time in Toronto, Berenyi, along with her bandmates Kevin “Moose” McKillop and Oliver Cherer, was determined to go out on a high note, delivering a solid set of tunes off the album as well as a few choice selections from her days fronting Lush. While new tunes like “Vertigo” and “Kinch” sounded great, the biggest crowd response came for the Lush classics, with “Ladykillers” and “Light From a Dead Star” standing out as highlights. All in all, a great performance and if this does indeed end up being their final show in Toronto, they certainly made it a memorable one.

Song of the Day: Sarathy Korwar – We Take Things For Granted

Posted on

14 Oct 2025

Paul

“We Take Things For Granted” is the latest single from London-based composer Sarathy Korwar, taken off his upcoming album There Is Beauty, There Already, out November 7 via Otherland Records. Check it out.

Concert Review: Greg Freeman, October 11, Danforth Music Hall

Posted on

12 Oct 2025

Paul

On Saturday night, Vermont-based alt-country artist Greg Freeman took to the stage at the Danforth Music Hall as the opener for indie legends Grandaddy. And though the room was still filling in as he began, it didn’t take long for his quiet intensity to command attention.

I first saw Freeman just over a year ago and was struck at the time by the obvious Jason Molina-isms in his songwriting. That brooding, introspective Molina vibe is still strong, but on this second encounter, I detected different influences coming to the forefront as well. If last year felt rooted in Songs: Ohia-style melancholy, this time around the influence of Neil Young was more noticeable. Opening number “Point and Shoot” in particular felt like what might happen if Neil had ever decided to cover Pavement.

Freeman is currently touring behind his latest release, Burnover, and much of the set leaned into its material. The band sounded great throughout, with songs like “Salesman” and the aforementioned “Point and Shoot” standing out as particular highlights, and the use of pedal steel and saxophone added a rich, haunting quality to the arrangements.

The set closed with “Palms,” a moody, slow-burning number that swelled into something almost cinematic – part post-rock sprawl, part slowcore dirge. It was a fitting finale, leaving the stage set for Grandaddy and ending things off on a suitably “big” note.

Song of the Day: Sunflowers – Workworkwork

Posted on

9 Oct 2025

Paul

“Workworkwork” is the latest single from Porto’s Sunflowers – a bracing bit of in-your-face noise-punk taken from the trio’s upcoming new album You Have Fallen…Congratulations, out Nov 7th via Fuzz Club.

Check out the video below for “Workworkwork.”

Song of the Day: Hatchie – Only One Laughing

Posted on

8 Oct 2025

Paul

Brisbane dream pop artist Harriette Pilbeam – aka Hatchie – is back with her latest single “Only One Laughing,” taken off her upcoming third album Liquorice, out Nov 7 via Secretly Canadian. Check it out.

Song of the Day: Austra – Siren Song

Posted on

7 Oct 2025

Paul

“Siren Song” is the latest single from Toronto’s Austra, taken off their upcoming album Chin Up Buttercup, out November 14 via Domino Recording Co. Check it out.