Last July, Grammy award-winning indie rock band The National walked off stage at Edinburgh Castle after playing a 26-song set –  just one stop on an extensive European stadium tour. It would be hard to predict then that the next time frontman Matt Berninger would perform live in the UK would be at a working men’s club in Leeds’ Hyde Park, the Brudenell Social Club. But, having been successful in the webpage-refreshing bloodbath of 21st-century-ticket-buying, I was fortunate enough to discover that this intimate venue provided the perfect setting to launch his solo live career.

“During an early instrumental, he shook hands with someone on the front row”

In contrast with the dense soundscapes of The National, Berninger was backed only by collaborator Ronboy on keys and Grammy award winning producer Sean O’Brien on acoustic guitar, leaving his deep, brooding voice more exposed than usual. Playing to a stadium might have been more natural for him, but playing a venue so intimate you could fistbump the front row? That left him with nowhere to hide. It transpired, however, that he was more than capable of delivering an incredible 80-minute set that held the audience in the palm of his hand.

After introducing “technically [his] second full show” (having performed a small, closed-door gig at the Sundance Film Festival five years ago), he kicked things off chronologically with ‘Inland Ocean,’ the first song off his upcoming album. It was surprising that he was playing the Brudenell Social Club at all, but he took to it like a natural. During an early instrumental, he shook hands with someone on the front row – it was safe to say the acoustic nature wasn’t going to lead to crowd surfing, but he certainly wasn’t afraid of audience interaction either.

The pseudo-acoustic performance sonically matched the understated venue with the minimalist ballads of 2020’s ‘Serpentine Prison’ garnering lengthy applause. It would have been easy for an audience to gaze motionless at this stripped back set-up; however the three-piece were able to animate the crowd, testament to the immersive capabilities of their music. Berninger leant into the front row, singing with audience members during the heart-wrenching ‘All For Nothing.’ Arms were punching into the air as he sang directly at pointed-out individuals during ‘Little By Little.’ It was easy to forget the lack of larger instrumentation; Berninger’s powerful voice was more than enough to fill the intimate surroundings, worlds away from the relative expanse of the O2 Academy.

“I stood among complete strangers, all of us transfixed by the new meaning attached to the song, collectively reflecting”

I was reminded of this intimacy whenever Berninger struck up a conversation with someone in the audience. These interactions were frequent, but none more meaningful than when, during a pause between songs, an audience member handed Berninger a symbolic trinket of her late friend, Ariel. After offering some words of comfort, Berninger dedicated the following performance of The National’s ‘Gospel’ to Ariel. A moment that was deeply touching and one that’s hard to imagine occurring anywhere other than a venue of this size. I stood among complete strangers, all of us transfixed by the new meaning attached to the song, collectively reflecting.

Emerging from the club, it was evident everyone in there felt invigorated by what they’d just witnessed. As you walk through the car park and beer garden, you’re reminded that this really is still a functional social club.

“Between July 2023 and July 2024, there were 46 venues identified as being permanently closed and 40 venues had stopped operating as ‘Grassroots Music Venues’”

The Brudenell, established in 1913, is lucky to some extent. It’s unfortunately taken for granted that most venues are operating on thin margins. It’s dismissed as an inevitability that most won’t last. The Brudenell luckily manages to keep a full schedule of acts, but in Cambridge, we can see all too easily what can happen to these establishments.

The bar and performance-space, ‘Hank’s’ on Lensfield Road, closed permanently on 29 March. “In these challenging times, small businesses are struggling, and sadly, Hank’s is no exception,” Hank’s wrote on its Instagram. “It breaks our hearts that Cambridge will lose another venue and place for connection.” Hank’s isn’t unique. According to the Music Venue Trust’s Annual Report, between July 2023 and July 2024, there were 46 venues identified as being permanently closed and 40 venues had stopped operating as ‘Grassroots Music Venues.’

The last time I’d seen Matt Berninger live was at the ‘All Points East’ festival in London’s Victoria Park in 2022, where The National were headlining. His emotionally direct and visceral performance was captivating even from the back of a festival field. But equally as transfixing was seeing the lesser-known Irish duo The Ocelots at the Portland Arms in Cambridge last month. In their closing announcement, Hank’s expressed their hope that this magic endures: “we ask that you continue to support local businesses, venues, and musicians in every way you can, to keep the spirit of the arts alive.”

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