Barcelona's Independent Review Website

The National + Hayden
2007-11-17 Sala Apolo A dream line-up for me, featuring not only my favourite band but my favourite solo artist on the same bill, The National finally come back to Barcelona after a three year absence and this time they bring well kept secret Hayden in support. In the time they’ve been away they’ve recorded two of the best albums of recent time – make that, all time – and built a substantial fanbase to listen to them. Despite this being my fourth time seeing the great ex-tech boomer Cincinnati songsters, it was still a moment of great anticipation. The support act Hayden is certainly less well known but hugely appreciated by those familiar with his five exceptional albums, including The National themselves, who went on to sing his praises with great enthusiasm. A shy, somewhat mumbling lof-fi, Canadian singer-songwriter, he’s not exactly in his element in the live arena. That being said, his music has a passion and integrity that cuts through the need for showmanship. Slow elegant songs like “Dynamite Walls” and “Wide Eyes” can impress even on first hearing. Though overall a true appreciation of his music may take some to acquire, for fans there is nothing like seeing the reticent singer in person. The National are similarly a band which fans obsess over and the occasional listener may not truly understand the appeal of. However, whilst their astonishingly good previous album, Aligator, could be dismissed by some for harking back to more of a 1980’s style of production, follow up Boxer has been near universally praised. Their new fuller sound, including a greater role for piano and even Sufjanesque horns on tracks like first single “Fake Empire.” The realisation live of music you have come to live and breath can sometimes lead to disappointment. If voices don’t quite hit those notes and solos are left simplified for concert performance, the essence of the record can fall to the wayside. On numerous occasions in the past I have found this with bands I simply loved, but I’m happy to say this is not a dilemma of The National. Their professionalism and musicianship are more than evident live. To see the composition unfolding of such familiar songs as “Mr November,” “Ada” and personal favourite “Slow Show” is a true experience. The visual enhancement through which you see exactly how six musicians can produce the sounds to recreate such phenomenally elegant, well crafted songs is unparalleled. In addition, along with Matt Berninger’s fantastic voice, each of the musicians seems to have their own moment in the spotlight, their own to chance to display their talents without resorting to Phil Collins like grandstanding. They are a band who know exactly how they want to sound and know how to work together to achieve it. My favourite band are also the most exquisite band I could hope to see live. They played for seventy minutes and each song, word and note, throughout, was how I wanted it to be.