The National set to return to New Zealand for two shows in February

Lifestyle Multimedia Journalist·NZ Herald·

26 Sep, 2023 12:31 AM2 mins to read

The National have announced New Zealand tour dates.

The National are finally coming back to New Zealand shores for an array of much-anticipated shows - six years and a pandemic later.

The band, who rose to fame with songs such as I Need My Girl, Bloodbuzz Ohio and Fake Empire, are set to play Auckland’s Spark Arena on February 24 and Wellington’s TSB Arena on February 25 - marking the first time the band have travelled to the capital for a performance.

Following the forced cancellation of the band’s two sold-out shows at Auckland’s Civic Theatre in 2020 due to Covid-19, The National are making up for lost time, with another three impeccable albums under their wing and two shows that are sure to have fans in a frenzy.

The long-awaited performances will be the first opportunity for Kiwis to hear the band’s new songs from their most recent albums - 2019′s I Am Easy To Find and 2023′s First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track - live, as well as some of their older, heart-wrenching ballads.

The long-awaited performances will be the first opportunity for Kiwis to hear new songs from the band's most recent albums live.

The National’s ninth studio album First Two Pages of Frankenstein came to happy ears in April this year with a stacked line-up of collaborations, featuring songs with Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens. The album has been hailed as a career highlight for the US band, with NME’s five-star review proclaiming: “This is The National at their absolute best.”

What’s more, proving one album was just not enough for 2023 playlists, the world was taken by complete surprise last week when The National released their tenth album Laugh Track on September 18, which includes Weird Goodbyes, featuring Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon.

Hitting the top of the charts in the US and winning a Grammy Award (Best Alternative Album) for Sleep Well Beast in 2017, the band have moved from strength to strength, producing multiple number-one-selling albums in multiple countries and, of course, touring their music across the globe.