The National 2014 Tour

Having just performed a special one off headline set at Splendour In The Grass last month, The National will return to Australia in the summer of 2014 with their intense and sophisticated brand of heartfelt rock. In what will be their first headline shows in Australia since 2010, the Cincinnati 5 piece will perform at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl, The Thebarton in Adelaide, Brisbane’s Riverstage, the Sydney Opera House Forecourt – the first to be announced at the venue after 18 months of renovations - and the Belvoir Amphitheatre as part of Perth Festival.

A band of brothers, The National features two sets of siblings; Aaron Dessner (guitar/keys) and his twin Bryce (guitar), plus Scott Devendorf (bass) and his brother Bryan (drums), abetted by the glorious baritone of vocalist Matt Berninger. The band were already up to their fourth album, Boxer (2007), when they first captivated Australian audiences in the early weeks of 2008, and although they were playing relatively intimate venues up and down the east coast they managed multiple shows in each capital even then, selling out many of them as word of their scintillating live show spread like wildfire.

The National then disappeared from our shores for a few years, and when they returned for the 2010 instalments of the Falls Festival, Sunset Sounds, Southbound and some sold out headline shows, they were armed with their acclaimed fifth album, High Violet (2010). The record catapulted them to acclaim all around the globe, and as their profile grew so did demand for their extravagant live show. The National quickly returned in 2011 as one of the main drawcards on the inaugural line-up of the Harvest Festival, where they went on to dominate proceedings amidst a slew of high profile bands from both here and abroad.

Since that time The National locked themselves away for one of their typically intense creative sessions and emerged with their sixth album, Trouble Will Find Me, and the meteoric rise of this incredible band continues unabated. A different beast to its predecessors, Trouble Will Find Me is a far more relaxed and less angsty collection of songs, still containing the fascinating arrangements and time signatures which characterised The National’s best work in the past but all flowing in a far more cohesive and somewhat breezy manner, augmented by Berninger’s as always soul-searching and self-flagellating lyrics.
Fans and newcomers alike have willingly grasped this new aesthetic from The National, which is why – in combination with their tireless work ethic of years gone by – their live show is now even more sought after than ever before. Their socially-conscious message will reverberate around arenas and be soaked up by masses of adoring followers when they return to our shores in February, so get in quickly and don’t miss out when one of Australia’s favourite acts returns for a gloriously captivating celebration of all things lush and emotional. All hail The National!