Glastonbury 2024: Watch The National perform ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’
As they headlined the Other Stage on June 30th at Glastonbury Festival, The National delivered a resounding version of ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’.
The National are from Cincinnati, Ohio, but formed in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1999. However, this track is a love letter to their hometown, and the place that made them. The band is comprised of frontman Matt Berninger, twin brothers and guitarists/multi-instrumentalists Aaron and Bryce Dessner, and another brotherly duo, bassist Scott Devendorf and drummer Bryan.
Since their self-titled debut in 2001, The National have released a further nine albums, with two appearing in 2023, First Two Pages of Frankenstein and their most recent, Laugh Track. Famed for their unique blend of post-punk, art rock, and folk, the group have earned a tremendous following over the years. This revered status has seen them perform at a host ofprominent festivals this year, including topping the bill at the Barcelona and Porto editions of Primavera Sound and Germany’s Southside earlier in June.
Headlining the Other Stage on Sunday at Glastonbury 2024, The National closed a day that had seen the likes of Soft Play, James, Avril Lavigne, and Two Door Cinema Club perform there before them. In true form, their masterful set was wide-reaching, touching many chapters of their career, including ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’ from 2010’s High Violet, one of their signature tracks.
A highlight of their set, known for its profoundly melancholic essence and poetic lyrics such as “I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees / I never married but Ohio don’t remember me” and “I still owe money to the money to the money I owe”, it was a highlight of the American group’s performance, with Berninger’s commanding display producing a tender moment for the entire audience, as the meditative music enveloped everyone present.
While the song’s meaning has long polarised fans, with the band members themselves revealing that they all have their own individual takes, Berninger did once explain his motivations behind writing it. Unsurprisingly, it was about the dichotomy of being an Ohioan and a New Yorker, and an average man on the verge of becoming a rockstar.
The frontman told Uncut: “It’s about being stuck between an old version of yourself and the one you’re becoming. I was trying to shed my skin. That’s what the first line about lifting up my shirt means to me. I definitely didn’t feel like the same person I used to be. I didn’t feel like an Ohioan anymore and I definitely was not a New Yorker.” He added: “I was married with a baby, living in Brooklyn, which was still a foreign land to me, and on the verge of becoming a rockstar if I didn’t blow it.
Sunday’s headliner on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2024 is SZA. Other prominent artists performing across the stages today include Burna Boy, Janelle Monae, Justice, and James Blake. Of course, these names are just the tip of the iceberg, there is much on offer.
Watch The National performing ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’ at Glastonbury Festival below.
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