The National’s Matt Berninger played an eerie, bluesy version of Radiohead’s ‘Kid A’ in Los Angeles this week – watch below.
The singer is touring in support of his second solo album ‘Get Sunk’, which is set to be released on Friday (May 30) via Book/Concord. Pre-order/pre-save the record here.
At his show at the Palace Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday (May 21), Berninger opened his encore with a cover of Thom Yorke and co.’s 2000 track, a song that has become a recurring presence in Berninger’s sets on this tour.
With Berninger’s resonant, baritone vocals giving chilling meaning to the processed voice effects of the original track, the band’s performance is accentuated by lonely, haunting twangs of guitar, and you can watch it all here, along with the original:
Matt Berninger played:
‘No Love’
‘Frozen Oranges’
‘Breaking Into Acting’
‘Distant Axis’
‘Serpentine Prison’
‘Silver Springs’
‘Junk’
‘Let It Be’
‘All For Nothing’
‘Nowhere Special’
‘One More Second’
‘Silver Jeep’
‘Little By Little’
‘Times Of Difficulty’
‘Bonnet Of Pins’
‘Kid A’
‘The Alcott’
‘Inland Ocean’
Berninger has previewed ‘Get Sunk’ with singles ‘Bonnet Of Pins’, ‘Breaking Into Action’ and ‘Inland Ocean’, the latter of which features Hand Habits.
The singer’s current US tour kicked off in Seattle on May 19 and once complete, he will head to Europe for shows in Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester and London in August. They are followed by a series of European dates, including gigs in Antwerp, Paris, Berlin, Oslo, Copenhagen and more. Visit here to buy tickets to US and EU shows, and here for UK dates.
Speaking about going solo back in 2020, Berninger told NME: “Most of my songs are love songs to myself or that champion me. They’re cheerleading songs for my own soul. I’m writing things that I suspect Carin would like to say to me. You know, ‘I hope my daughter understands me’, ‘My mother will know this is about her’. They’re not just about me; they’re about the people that made me… me.”
Then, in September 2023, NME spoke to Berninger again, this time about his writing process and its interaction with his mental health. “I don’t believe in ghosts,” he said, “but I believe in the power of the belief in ghosts. It’s the same thing with God. I don’t really believe in it, but I believe in its power.”
