When I finally got to visit Castlefield Bowl on a Thursday evening in July, I was hoping for t-shirt weather. Maybe a nice sunset. But as we live in the UK where the weather is notoriously unpredictable, I pulled my winter coat out of retirement just in case.
And the heavens opened just as The National took to the stage for Sounds of the City, so it’s a good thing I did. READ MORE: Life of Pi isn't just a theatre show - it's a complete immersive experience I’ve been a fan of The National since I was an angsty teen. With the band owning the “sad dad rock” label, it would be easy to assume seeing them live might be a little bit too sombre.
But just a few minutes into the gig, it became clear their shows bring some type of catharsis – the crowd feeling every emotion through singer Matt Berninger’s voice. The rain didn't dampen the performance (Image: Kenny Brown) Having already impressed audiences at Sounds of the City back in 2019, The National return to Castlefield Bowl for another night of indie rock on Thursday (July 4). The group arrived on the back of their hugely successful Glastonbury performance, where they closed the Other Stage on the final night of the festival.
Made up of Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Bryan Devendorf, Scott Devendorf, the five-piece first broke out with their self-titled debut album in 2001, but it wasn't until the release of their fourth album Boxer in 2007 where they really started to rise to prominence. “The rain is .
