Photos and a review of Wintersleep in Ottawa
[Melody Maloney got the assignment. – AC]
On a Saturday night in Ottawa, Wintersleep performed at The Bronson. Despite many festivals and shows going on this summer evening in the capital, Wintersleep brought the crowd. Fans spanning decades filtered in and filled the Bronson concert hall.
Opening act Weird Nightmare is Alex Edkins’ solo project from Canadian punk rock band METZ. Alex and his band gave us a solid show with a variety of songs in their set list.
With songs promoting their recently released album HOOPLA, including a cover of the Tragically Hip’s song ‘In View’. Alex talked about how happy he was to be back in Ottawa and settling down with his family here after his journeys in other cities.
Despite the punk rock nature of METZ, Weird Nightmare gave us energy while creating a perfect segue into even more Canadian indie music.
By the time Wintersleep took stage, the pit was filled with long-time fans. Fans who knew every word to every song on the setlist.
This tour is in support of their new album Wishing Moon, which came out in March of 2026. Even though many songs were in support of their new album (which is a great album, by the way), the band still gave us a great variety of classics, fan favourites, and new music.
Starting the set off with ‘Wishing Moon’ and ‘I Got a Feeling’, off this new album ‘Wishing Moon’. Quickly jumping into ‘Spirit’, ‘More Than’ and ‘Amerika’, the band gave fans what they came here for. Songs that they knew and loved and not just those radio hit tunes (which are still great tunes).
With this in mind, they put their hit song ‘Amerika’ towards the start of the set. A song that is even more relatable now than when it was released on their 2016 album The Great Detachment.
This really set the tone for the rest of the show and made the Canadian concertgoers feel united, hugging and singing together in the crowd. More hits like ‘Weighty Ghost’, the iconic song off their influential Welcome to the Night Sky’ album, were spread throughout the show.
Ending the main set with songs spanning over a decade. From ‘Forest Fire’ (2019), ‘Laserbeams’(2007), and ending on ‘Oblivion’ (2007).
With such a strong fan base, Wintersleep came out for an encore. With a total of 4 encore songs starting from ‘Metropolis’ to ‘Nerves Normal, Breath Normal’. Wintersleep showed us that they are still a very much active Canadian indie rock band. Six years since their last album, Wintersleep never missed a beat. They are still writing meaningful songs with a unique sound that carries their first album from 2003 all the way to their eighth studio album in 2026.
