Rapid fire May is loco yo gig reviews 3: The National - The Olympia

A very wise puppet once repeatedly said, "That's the way to do it, That's the way to do it."

But he was a spouse abusing motherfucker so perhaps we should pay him no mind.

Nonetheless The National kicked my fucking ass tonight. The bass was still a little too low in the mix but otherwise all my previous problems were non-existent this time around.

Rapid fire May is loco yo gig reviews 2: The National - The Olympia

My National fanboy credentials are impeccable. At the very least I've got a great deal of affection for everything that they've ever put out and I adore their 3 most recent audio releases. I'll also explain at great length to anyone who will let me how 2 of the most profoundly moving musical experiences I've ever had involved seeing The National live.

They were bad tonight.

I did not enjoy it at all.

Speaking to one of the people I was with who felt similarly let down afterwards he offered a number of possible reasons for the lacklustre nature of the gig. Phrases like "going through the motions" and "no attitude" were uttered and they may well be apt. But for me it comes down to a single sentence.

They sounded like shit.

The mix was an utter disaster. Perhaps it had something to do with where I was standing (directly in front of his amp) but Bryce Dessner's guitar was way too loud for most of the night but there were plenty of other problems that can't be explained away so easily; like how high Padma Newsome's vocals were in the mix, or how it was so difficult to hear the bass, and most unforgivably of all how low Bryan Devendorf's drumming (a.k.a. the thing that made Boxer brilliant more than any other contributing factor) was.

Oh and I get that they hired the 2 guys and want to get value out of paying their wages but if a song didn't need brass on the record it doesn't need it live either. I can happily live without the little added push that it gives the end of "Fake Empire" if it means I don't have to hear it on "Able".

In the interest of fairness I have no beef with Aaron Dessner's guitar volume.

The National on The Kiosk.

Nadine O'Regan interviewed Bryce Dessner from The National on her show on Phantom FM today ahead of the band's 3 night stand in The Olympia. It was a really lengthy and interesting chat touching on the band's history, their inspirations and heroes, their working methods and the way they've grown in popularity since people realised that Alligator is one of the best records of the past decade. She also had an exclusive version of "Fake Empire" from their last gig in Ireland where Matt Berninger's voice could barely be heard above the crowd. If you're a fan of the band it's really worth your while listening to the interview.

The Kiosk is repeated tomorrow at 8AM but they've also started podcasting recently and you should be able to find it here once the latest one goes up.

The National play in the Olympia on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and will be back in Belfast in a couple of months.

A reason to watch Tubridy Tonight.

The National will be appearing on Tubridy Tonight on May 10th ahead of their 3 night stand in The Olympia. Hopefully they'll be allowed to play live instead of the usual RTE bullshit of having to sing over backing tracks.

Oh and they've added a new Irish date. 8th July in Mandella Hall in Belfast.

Here they are appearing on Letterman performing a great version of Fake Empire.

Trailer for Vincent Moon's National documentary.

If nothing else it looks gorgeous.

Tracklisting for the new National EP.

The Virginia EP out May 20th.

1. You Done it Again, Virginia
2. Santa Clara
3. Blank Slate
4. Tall Saint
5. Without Permission
6. Forever After Days
7. Rest Of Years
8. Slow Show(Live)
9. Lucky You(Live)
10. Mansion On The Hill (Live)
11. Fake Empire(Live)
12. About Today (Live)

"About Today" is a monster live, really glad that's included on it.

THIRD National date added.

May 12th in the Olympia. Edit: Or maybe it's the Ambassador.

Edit again: Or maybe it's the 13th in the Olympia, that's probably what it is.

You think if they'll throw in a ticket for this for people who already bought tickets for both of the other 2? Me neither.

Second National date on sale NOW.

The Olympia again, 14th of May.

The National back in Dublin in May.

Olympia, May 15th. Tickets on sale on Monday, €30

The National - Olympia - Dublin ... I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain.

I went out tonight with zero intention of blogging about this gig. I figured anything that I said about Tuesday's gig in the Ambassador would pretty much hold true of tonight. In fact I had intended to use the gig as a jumping off point to talk about St. Vincent, who opened tonight and, after buying it after the Tuesday gig, whose album I've listened to 3 times in the past 24 hours. Annie's a talented lady, but should probably check her fishnets for tears before going on stage.

But that was supposed to be tomorrow, I wasn't supposed to be here, at home, on my computer at ten to one tonight ... not the plan at all. I should be in the Oak with my friends hanging out and waiting for the cats who went to Modeselektor to get in and see how that went. But I couldn't handle being in a crowded bar with people bumping off of me, shoving past me, people shouting because the music was too loud. Couldn't make conversation with my buddies. I needed to be on my own, to digest things.

I feel, and I can't put my finger on why, that I had a profoundly moving experience tonight. The gig was good, much as it was on Tuesday, if I wanted to gripe I'd bitch about the drums being low in the mix and occasionally not being able to decipher what Matt was singing, but yeah, I was enjoying myself. Then we got the second song from the end of the main set, "Daughters Of The Soho Riots" right at the end the crowd took over the singing after what was supposed to be the final line "Break my arms around my love" and sang another couples of measures of ...

" Break my arms around the one I love
And be forgiven by the time my lover comes
Break my arms around my love"

And from where I was standing I saw Bryce Dessner break out in a massive grin. From that point on everything clicked in to place for me and things became magical. It's hard to say why I'm feeling like I do right now, the songs were great, they finished the set with "About Today", one of my favourite songs in the whole world into "Start A War", a combination I'd not heard from them before but if I had to put my finger on it it happened one song before, "Mr. November".

Matt Berninger, so awkward and shy looking at times, seemingly so nervous about being on stage that on occasion he took to crouching behind Bryce Dessner's sizeable pedal board which was flanked by a pair of monitors so that he was almost hidden from sight. During that song he walked down the steps of the stage to the barrier and stepped over it into the crowd and around the point where he sang about being carried in the arms of cheerleaders the crowd hoisted him up into the air and he surfed from one side of the Olympia's pit to the other. When he was eventually set back down at the end of the song he made his way back to the stage through the throng, hugging whoever got in his way.

It was beautiful.

Thinking about it makes me want to cry.

I fucking love music man.

This song makes the world OK.

MP3: The National - About Today from Cherry Tree.

The National - Ambassador - Dublin

I can see up your nose Matt.

The National like Ireland. I know this to be true because they said so when someone asked last night. And in fairness they've got every reason to. Their last proper appearance here in Whelan's in November 2005 was one of the best gigs I've ever seen with a near-symbiosis between band and audience occurring at times and Matt Berninger referred to it last night as their "best gig ever". At the time he didn't even seem to mind that he was dragged out of the venue's green room by a fan at the behest of one of the Dessner brothers to play one final song a full 20 minutes after the end of the gig when they returned to pack up the stage and were met with thunderous applause.

With those sorts of memories to live up to Tuesday's first of a pair of Dublin dates (which began as a single night in the much smaller Village) were never going to top, or even match that. But Cincinnati's finest gave it a damn good try. Returning with a collection of brilliant shiny new tunes from their Boxer album they, and a selection from 2005's Alligator regularly induced moments of euphoria up the front, I wouldn't be able to tell you what the folks at the back were doing. Getting to the bar easily and not sweating profusely probably.

The National write brilliant songs and produce wonderful sounding records, there's never a note out of place and everything fits perfectly. Perhaps aware that replicating such clinical playing in a live environment is nigh on impossible the National as a live proposition are a far more muscular band and in particular Bryce Dessner and touring member Padma Newsome really crank things up at times, Dessner by bathing his guitar playing in delay and Newsome by flying around the stage furiously playing whatever stringed and bowed instrument he had in his hands at the time. All the while Bryan Devendorf holds things together with some brilliantly creative drumming, there's probably faster drummers out there but in the current canon of US indie rock there's not one I'd rather listen to.

The only member of the band not to up the ante in the live arena is Berninger, never the most comfortable looking performer (he's been known to walk straight out of venues post-gig without a word to anyone to be on his own) when I saw the band on the first date of the Boxer tour in London back in May it appeared that he'd grown into the frontman role a bit but last night he looked quite ill at ease with himself. Aside from occasionally speaking to the crowd between songs, and he did looked engaged and genuine when that happened, he spent most of his non-singing time with his back to the audience standing near the drum kit.

But when he does open his mouth during the songs ...

He loses himself completely in what he's doing. I could listen to that guy sing the phonebook in his gorgeous, sombre baritone and enjoy it. And as for his phrasing of a lyric, he's in Sinatra territory. A few weeks back I had a chat with a somewhat drunk Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene about his upcoming solo album, he let it slip that he wants to get some guest vocalists in to help out including on one song, "that guy from The National", considering the quality of the tunes that BSS have come up with over the years the idea of Matt Berninger singing over them is a mouth watering proposition.

The night ended on a high note and with a nod to the band's long term fans, returning to the stage for a deserved second encore they sent the crowd home with a shoegazed up version of "About Today" from the Cherry Tree EP which culminated in a wall of sound before the band left the stage one at a time, easing things down till it only the Devendorf brothers remained.

The National play Belfast tonight and return to Dublin tomorrow to play the Olympia. Whoever is seeing them is in for a hell of a treat.

Wanted: The National

I am on the lookout for a standing ticket for the second Dublin National gig in the Olympia on November 1st. It's for a friend who is a big fan and who can't make the October 30th gig so if anyone can help out that'd be cool.

The National covering Springsteen's "Mansion On the Hill"

Can't can't can't wait for the gigs. Nothing will top Whelans but all the same ...

I just came.

The National are to cover Springsteen's "Mansion On The Hill" as a b-side to the "Apartment Story" single which is due out in early November.

Excuse me while I go clean myself up.

Second Dublin National date for the Olympia Ambassador announced.

October 30th, tickets on sale tomorrow.

Pretty mindblowing that they were originally booked for a 650 or so person venue and now face the possibility of playing to 2,600 over the course of 2 nights.

I'm really glad that they're taking off here, Boxer (like Alligator before it) is a remarkable album and that night they played Whelans in November 2005 is one of my most treasured musical memories.

Mp3: The National - About Today from Live At Spin. I love the Cherry Tree EP version but the way they've been playing it live of late is amazing.

Opener announced for The National in Dublin

The whole European tour in fact I think.

St. Vincent



I don't think it'll be her first visit to the Olympia. Pretty sure she was in Sufjan Stevens' band last year and opened the set doing her own thing. I wasn't there having been to the Douglas Hyde Gallery and Village gigs before and went to I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness in Whelans instead (mistake).

I can't find my copy of the Cherry Tree E.P. so I can't put up "About Today" but here's a song off the second National album.

MP3: The National: Slipping Husband from Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers