The National formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1999. The five-piece are comprised of vocalist Matt Berninger alongside two sets of brothers – twins Aaron and Bryce Dessner and Scott and Bryan Devendorf.
The Eden Sessions announcement follows the release of Laugh Track, their surprise second album of 2023, in September. Laugh Track was received with critical acclaim and follows nine previous studio albums, beginning with their 2001 self-titled debut.
The National’s last five albums have all reached the top five in the UK charts, with 2017’s Sleep Well Beast, which was named Best Alternative Album at the Grammy Awards, hitting number one. In the US, The National have scored five top 10 albums on the Billboard 200.
Band members have collaborated with some of the biggest stars in the music world, with Aaron and Bryce Dessner co-producing Taylor Swift’s Evermore, an album on which The National also featured as a band.
Aaron Dessner also produced Swift’s Folklore, which won Album of the Year at the 2021 Grammy Awards and was named the best album of 2020 by Billboard, Rolling Stone and Time. Other artists for whom Aaron Dessner has produced include Ed Sheeran, Michael Stipe and Ben Howard.
The National’s ninth studio album, entitled First Two Pages of Frankenstein and released in April this year (2023), featured collaborations with Swift, as well as Sufjan Stevens and Phoebe Bridgers.
The National have been nominated for three Grammy Awards, three NME Awards and one Brit Award.
This Is The Kit, the acclaimed alternative rock group led by Paris-based bandleader Kate Stables, released their sixth studio album Careful of Your Keepers, which was produced by Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, in June (2023).
The band has previously worked with Aaron and Bryce Dessner on the third This Is The Kit record, entitled Bashed Out and released in 2015.
Rita Broe, Managing Director of Eden Sessions Ltd, said: “The National are one of the finest indie rock bands of the last two decades and are rightly seen as legends, influencing artists across a range of genres.
“With two incredible albums released this year alone, The National have shown that they are a vital force in contemporary alternative music and we can’t wait to see them play in our breath-taking and unique venue.”
Tickets for The National at the Eden Sessions on July 2, 2024 cost £56 plus £7.30 booking fee and are available through www.edensessions.com.
Tickets are on sale to Inside Track pass-holders from 11am on Tuesday November 14. The general ticket sale is at 6pm on Thursday November 16.
The National are the fourth show to be announced for the 2024 Eden Sessions. Already confirmed acts for next summer’s Sessions are Fatboy Slim (June 15), Suede and Manic Street Preachers (June 29) and JLS (July 13). More artists will be announced soon.
In September 2019 the Eden Project and global live events company AEG Presents announced a new partnership, Eden Sessions Ltd, to run the Eden Sessions.
In September 2021 Volvo Car UK announced a new three-year partnership as the Official Automotive Partner of the Eden Project and the Eden Sessions music concerts, a deal brokered by AEG Global Partnerships.
