The National are celebrating the release of their eighth studio album I Am Easy To Find with an Australian tour hitting Fremantle Arts Centre on Saturday, March 21 (sold out) and Sunday, March 22 (on sale now). With less than a month to go, there’s only 150 tickets left to their second date so get in quick to avoid disappointment.
Making the port city date an even more exciting proposition, they will be supported on all their dates down under by Los Angeles songwriter (and one third of boygenius) Phoebe Bridgers, who dropped new single Garden Song overnight. For the video (check it out below), Bridgers asked her younger brother Jackson to film her smoking a bong and to then “surprise” her with what happens next. For a non-smoker, the effect was particularly strong and the resulting video captures Bridgers being weirded out by various furry monsters and – at one point – the comedian/author Tig Notaro in a monk’s costume.
It’s a welcome return to Western Australia for the Ohio-raised, Brooklyn-based band after their last visit in 2018 only included dates on the east coast. This tour sees The National nestle into their most intimate Australian venues in a decade, delivering fans the raw intensity and emotion of their live show, up close and personal. One of the world’s great live bands, check out the must-see Mike Mills short film of the same name, starring Alicia Vikander, below.
Los Angeles’ Bridgers released her debut album Stranger In The Alps in 2017 to international acclaim, with haunting, introspective songs that garnered widespread comparisons to legendary songwriters like Elliott Smith and Joni Mitchell. In the last 12 months, Bridgers has continued with a prolific release schedule; teaming up with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus to release an EP as boygenius and joining forces with Conor Oberst for a full-length album under the guise Better Oblivion Community Centre. This anticipated Perth visit follows popular shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane earlier this year.
I Am Easy To Find is out now. The National and Phoebe Bridgers play Fremantle Arts Centre on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Final tickets on sale now from handsometours.com.
