Among indie rock bands that don’t take themselves too seriously, it doesn’t get much better than The National. Formed in Brooklyn in the late 90s, The National isn’t a band you’ll find at the top of the charts. It’s also not a band that will awe you with a hard-rock sound or surround itself with a fancy light show when playing live. Instead, you’ll have to settle for a quintet of musical geniuses. The five members of The National include two sets of brothers, including a set of twins. Needless to say, it’s a band that understands one another and knows how to compose great songs. One album after another from The National has become critically acclaimed, giving the band a huge catalog of songs to perform that will delight audiences. For a rock band that’s all music and no frills, you can’t get much better than seeing The National Live in concert.

The Right Kind of Melancholy

It’d be impossible to confuse The National with an upbeat or up-tempo rock act. They tend to slow things down, focusing on finding the right sound and melody, often being compared to Leonard Cohen, Wilco, or Radiohead. The band’s lyrics are smart and somber, creating a beautiful kind of melancholy that always perfectly matches the song's melody. While The National may not have audiences dancing in the aisles, the band will serenade listeners into a subdued state of euphoria with its perfectly crafted songs.

Getting Around

Even if The National isn’t the first name to come off the lips of music fans, it’s a safe bet that you’ve heard them somewhere before, perhaps without realizing it. The National isn’t the type of band to headline stadium tours, but they’ve been around the festival circuit, appearing at Coachella, Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, and countless others over the years, so they know how to delight an audience. The National’s music has also been heard on countless TV shows and movies, including Parenthood, One Tree Hill, Friday Night Lights, Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and countless others. Over more than two decades, The National has slowly contributed one way or another to the soundtrack of everyone’s life, making them an act that won’t disappoint when seeing them perform live.