Nine studio albums, two Grammies, two Brit Awards, and a quarter-century into a hugely influential career, The National are bringing their potent mix of soaring song and ruthless introspection to the ICC Sydney Theatre over two nights in March.
The band that helped spur a thousand others – the xx, Arcade Fire, and Fleet Foxes all owe a debt – The National were one of the last bands to form in the last century, and have been instrumental in defining the beginning of the new one.
In 2023, writing about that year’s album ‘The First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’, The Guardian said “they’ve shown that intelligent, introspective music can connect with a wide audience, proving that rock doesn’t have to be loud and brash to be meaningful.”
That The National are still putting meaning and thought into their music after nearly twenty-five years is one hell of an achievement, and with a catalogue as deep and wide and complex as theirs, it’s a body of work – and a band – to be treasured.