The National

The National arrived in Edinburgh celebrating their first UK Number One album, but

the four new tracks from Sleep Well Beast with which they chose to open the first of two Usher Hall shows may well take some time to bed in. Despite the anticipation-raising “please stand by” notice flashed on the big screen alongside backstage footage of the band waiting in the wings (no crazy pre-gig rituals to see here), the opening half hour felt like a moody preamble, with the audience left wondering when the gig was going to start.

The tasteful constituent elements of The National’s sound don’t always add up to a satisfying whole, though frontman Matt Berninger was given to the occasional throat-shred-