On Friday, November 6, Anya Scorsone-Burns and I drove 45 minutes east of Toronto to Oshawa, Ontario, to The Bitmore Theatre. Our goal was to experience a double bill of incredible progressive rock from Juno Award Winners Crown Lands, along with opening act Dreamland. Both bands have released outstanding albums in 2026 – Dreamland with their debut offering, Volume 1: Look Into the Light, and Crown Lands with Apocalypse, their fourth studio release.
Dreamland went first, and they delivered a great opening set. The duo of guitarist/vocalist Daniel Walton and drummer Adam Inrig (drums/synths) were joined onstage by two musicians clad in Jawas-esque robes, one covering rhythm guitar, the other (who suspiciously looked like Kevin Comeau of Crown Lands, who produced Dreamland’s new album) playing bass and keyboards. What followed was a strong selection from the band’s debut, with Walton demonstrating his guitar prowess and Inrig providing the Neil Peart-esque drum parts. Dreamland’s music is an excellent symbiosis of Rush and Pink Floyd, and they made for the perfect prelude to Crown Lands.
This was my first time seeing Crown Lands perform live in concert, and to say I was blown away by the duo of Cody Bowles (drums/vocals) and Kevin Comeau (bass/guitar/keyboards/pedals) would be a complete understatement. I already knew that these folks were master musicians and songwriters – their second studio album, Fearless, and their latest, Apocalypse, have been in my regular rotation for a while now – but being able to see them pull off their fantastic prog rock songs in person is a whole other experience. Kevin Comeau follows in the tradition of Rush’s Geddy Lee; though he’s mainly focused on guitar, Kevin is also triggering bass notes and sounds with his feet all night long. Watching him go through those complex motions was genuinely something to behold; meanwhile, Cody delivers hard-hitting prog-rock drums and delivers lead vocals at the same time. Crown Lands plays difficult, complex music, and both members pull it off with ease. I honestly don’t know how they do it, but it’s safe to say I was in awe watching them.
For me, there were two absolute highlights of the night. The first was “The Fall,” a fantastic song, one of my favourites of 2026, that shows off Cody’s vocal range while laying down a solid beat. It clearly recalls Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell” with its thumping bass, but the chorus veers into something more uplifting.
The second song that made my night was “Starlifter: Fearless Pt. II.” Clocking in at 19+ minutes, this is an absolute prog-rock epic, and again, the duo delivered it with effortless ease. Cody and Kevin have simply found a secret sauce and unity that most bands would kill for.
Both bands ended the night by playing Crown Lands’ “The Oracle,” the future of progressive rock onstage for a fantastic encore.
Crown Lands and Dreamland are currently on tour together, with stops coming up in Hamilton, London, and St. Catharines. If you remotely have a love of progressive rock, this is a must-attend double bill. You won’t be disappointed by either band.
Learn more about Crown Lands here.
Learn more about Dreamland here.
