The National
May 28 2007 -- Matt Berninger of Brooklyn-based rock band The National performs at Bowery Ballroom in New York, NY. Photo by Kathryn Yu
I photographed The National for Pitchfork, the first show of their five night stand at Bowery Ballroom. This photograph comes from the part of the show where he practically climbed down on top of me. Lovely band, lovely and intense show, and I'm glad that they're doing well and chose to grace the stage of the Bowery Ballroom for five nights in a row rather than doing one or two nights at a larger stage. More photographs.
I remember the first time I saw them, they were opening for someone else, at the Mercury Lounge. My friend Meg leaned over to me and said, "I like these guys, but I feel like I'm not supposed to be witnessing this," by which she meant lead singer Matt Berninger's habits of roaming the stage, having emotional freakouts, hitting his face and rocking back and forth between songs. I must say, however, it makes for a breath-taking, dynamic show, particularly when he gets down in your face. They're very good at building up songs to a fever pitch; I find their performances to be captivating -- it's hard not to watch the spectacle as it unfolds.
Congratulations to the National. Boxer is a phenomenal album, and I can't wait to see where they go next.
Photographs on this site are © Kathryn Yu. Don't steal.
