The National

The National, Broken Records at Royal Festival Hall, London, Mon 10 Aug

Review by Sean Thomas

The Royal Festival Hall feels like the perfect place to enjoy The National at their near best. It’s an unorthodox gig truth be told, with some members of the crowd opting to remain seated, while others dance in the aisles or stand joyously clapping and drowning out the actual percussion.»

Royal Festival Hall

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The National

The National are five displaced Ohioans living in New York: Scott and Bryan Devendorf (guitar & drums); Aaron and Bryce Dessner (guitar & bass); and Matt Berninger (vocals) - two sets of brothers and one best friend.

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Broken Records

MySpace

Jamie - vocals, guitar, mandolin
Ian - guitar, piano, glockenspiel, melodica
Rory - violin, accordion, mandolin
Arne - cello
Dave - piano, trumpet, harmonium
Gill - bass, guitar
Andy - drums

Much-championed by DiS, Broken Records are an emerging group from north of the border who have kicked up one heck of an industry buzz. And rightly so, too. For once. For fans of: Murder By Death, Dirty Three, Arcade Fire, Bruce Springsteen, Cursive, Guillemots.

Photo: Neil Thomas Douglas