The National Captivates in Singapore

I am one of those people who get slightly depressed when a favorite “cult” band or artist becomes popular or mainstream. I cringe whenever Adele’s Rolling in the Deep is butchered in production numbers by the Sunday Variety Shows and I get nauseous when I hear Florence and the Machine’s Dog Days are Over being overplayed on local radio two years after it was initially released. So the thought of The National going to Asia for a couple of shows gave me mixed feelings of excitement and doubt — are they going to sell out just to please the audience?

Brooklyn-based, Ohio-bred band The National was originally booked to play shows last March in Singapore and Tokyo. I had absurdly planned to spend approximately 24 hours in Singapore just to watch their concert but the Japan earthquake struck and they scrapped the Asian tour all together.

This left fellow fans from the Philippines extremely disappointed. I could not listen to any The National song for a couple of weeks and even bitterly watched their Coachella performance through livestreaming as I muttered “You suck” in between songs. But the truth was, they had an amazing set and I prayed that some day I would see them perform live.

The National’s vocalist Matt Berninger launches into his dark performance marked with possessed growls and screams to the delight of the audience. Photos courtesy of Esplanade Theatres on the Bay

This was probably God’s little gift for me, but on my birthday last August, it was announced that The National was re-booking their shows in Asia for this November and I was beyond ecstatic. I immediately made arrangements to see their show in Singapore.

The National’s music is often described as smart art rock by critics and the Esplanade Theatre with its intimate conventions, steep balconies and perfect acoustics is an ideal venue to experience it. The audience in Singapore was a mix of local youths and an expat crowd of “yupsters.”

Coined by New York magazine in 2006, “yupsters” or “grups”(as in grown-ups) are professional working adults ranging from their early 30s to 40s who appreciate indie musical and lifestyle sensibilities and are sometimes referred to as “hipsters with health insurance.” It actually felt a little more like an audience you would see in Boston or New York rather than in Southeast Asia.

In true Singaporean fashion, the performance started promptly at 8 p.m. sans front act. The stage had rows of strobe lights with the five-piece band and two guys in the horns section they usually bring around for their shows. The relatively austere stage beamed with glowing green light and the band opened with a slow burn of Runaway. Matt Berninger’s dark voice envelopes the theatre with a growing energy along with the Dessner twins’ deft guitar allusions and the Devendorf brothers’ swirling beats.

This New York-based band was founded in 1999 in Ohio composed of twins Bryce and Aaron Dessner, brothers Bryan and Scott Devedorf and Matt Berninger. All of them moved to the big apple for higher education and career opportunities which eventually led to a musical career with a cult-like following.

The setlist is solid with loyal crowd favorites Bloodbuzz Ohio, Apartment Story, England, Apartment Song, Afraid of Everyone, Fake Empire, Slow Show, among other songs from their albums “High Violet,” “Boxer” and “Alligator.” Matt Berninger (vocalist) and Bryce Dessner(guitarist) do most of the talking in between, with Matt talking about drinking “special” water from swans and unicorns during the show. Bryce even takes a jab at the band’s reputation for being melancholic as he introduces Sorrow and the subsequent songs as the start of the “darker” phase of the night’s performance.

Theatric with his smoldering voice and hovering almost hawkish stance, Berninger plays the part of introverted frontman almost perfectly as he occasionally screams and growls through the set as if lamenting his state of almost selling out. He eventually dove into the audience like a possessed man as he launched into Terrible Love, losing himself in the sea of adoring fans. The night ended with a four-song encore that included the Obama campaign favorite Mr. November and an acoustic rendition of Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks, which brought the crowd to its feet and the whole place sang along.

What made The National’s concert uniquely gratifying was the sheer musicality added to the honesty and energy of the performance. I have never seen a band perform songs so depressing yet so layered, beautiful, confident and rousing all at the same time.

The band ends the night with a rousing acoustic performance of Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks. I have never seen artists play poignantly depressing songs yet leave the audience energetic and gratified.

Although I feel a little apprehensive about endorsing them to a wider audience, The National is one of the best bands right now and people deserve to hear and see them live. This was probably one of the best concerts I’ve been to in a long time.

And on a personal note, I met the Dessner twins at the taxi line at the hotel at the back of the Esplanade. Staying true to their sensibilities, I found them warm and down-to-earth as we talked about their music and living in New York. I debated whether I would ask to have a photo with them but I figured that was not cool. I bid good-bye and thanked them for a memorable night.

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Grace Velasco blogs at http://divasoria.ph.

Apart from The National, the band’s various members have worked in various prestigious project most prominently with the Red+Hot organization and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.