Bastille (sometimes stylised as BΔSTILLE) are an English
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
band formed in 2010. The group began as a solo project by lead vocalist
Dan Smith, but later expanded to include keyboardist Kyle Simmons, bassist and guitarist Will Farquarson and drummer Chris "Woody" Wood.
After an independently released debut single and a self-released EP, the band signed to
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...
.
Their first studio album, ''
Bad Blood'', was released in March 2013 and entered the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
at number one and included the hit single "
Pompeii
Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...
" which peaked at number two on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. Bastille was nominated for four
Brit Awards
The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
at the
2014 ceremony, winning the
British Breakthrough Act. As of August 2021, the band have sold over eleven million records worldwide.
History
Formation and early releases (2010–2011)
Bastille debuted in July 2010 with their limited edition 7" single that featured the two tracks "Flaws" and "Icarus". Released through London-based independent record label Young & Lost Club, only 300 copies were pressed. One of the copies found its way into the hands of Alex Baker, presenter of the unsigned/independent artists radio show on Kerrang! Radio. Baker started to support Bastille on air, and the band began to find an audience. They released the EP ''
Laura Palmer
Laura Palmer is a fictional character in the ''Twin Peaks'' franchise. She is portrayed by Sheryl Lee and was created by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. She first appears in the ABC original series ''Twin Peaks''. A high schoo ...
'' themselves later in 2011. After debuting further tracks online through sites such as YouTube and MySpace, the band's audience started to grow.
In December 2011 Smith signed a contract with Virgin Records.
The group subsequently secured a few support slots and later performed at major UK festivals including
Glastonbury
Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...
, the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
,
Redfest
Redfest was an annual music festival at Robins Cook Farm, Kings Mill Lane, Nutfield, Redhill, Surrey, England. It was established in 2007 as a small (5,000 capacity) independent music festival geared toward youth, with over 70 per cent of its ...
, Reading and Leeds Festival and
Blissfields. The band also recorded and released two parts of their mix-tape titled ''Other People's Heartache'' for free.
''Bad Blood'' and ''All This Bad Blood'' (2012–2015)
On 27 April 2012, their first official single release, "
Overjoyed", was released through
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...
, as confirmed by EMI on 1 May 2012. Following its video premiere in November 2011, popular music publication,
''Q'' Magazine introduced the track as its 'Track of the Day' for 7 March 2012. The second single to be released from the upcoming debut studio album, ''
Bad Blood'', was the eponymous track, "
Bad Blood". An accompanying video for the single was released on the band's official VEVO channel on 29 June 2012, and digitally through Virgin Records on 20 August 2012. Bastille was also named 'New Band of the Day' by British newspaper ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' in July 2012. The song charted moderately at number 90 in the United Kingdom and saw the group's first entry into the chart. In August 2012 the band performed at UK festivals like
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
and
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
, as well as supporting British singer-songwriter
Emeli Sandé
Adele Emily Sandé, ( ; born 10 March 1987), known professionally as Emeli Sandé, is a Scottish singer and songwriter. Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, and raised in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by an English mother and a Zambian father ...
. They later played a small headlining tour, titled 'Flaws Tour' in October 2012, with
Swiss Lips
Swiss Lips were a five-piece electropop band from Manchester.
Musical career
The band describe their sound as influenced by the Manchester music scene in some ways but display a wide range of influences. "Finding the middle ground between gui ...
as their support act. in November 2012, the band performed at Hong Kong's Clockenflap Music and Arts Festival, their first outside of Europe. Their third single, a re-release of their first 7" non-album single "
Flaws", was a commercial success, earning the group their first position in the UK Top 40, debuting at number-twenty-one.
In February 2013, Bastille confirmed the release of the fourth single to be taken from ''Bad Blood'', "
Pompeii
Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...
". The song was positively reviewed by critics, reaching number two in the United Kingdom and number five in the US. Their debut album ''Bad Blood'' was released on 4 March 2013, and placed at number one in the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
. On 11 March, Bastille was announced to be playing at the Reading and Leeds Festival in August 2013. In an interview with
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
in March 2013, "
Laura Palmer
Laura Palmer is a fictional character in the ''Twin Peaks'' franchise. She is portrayed by Sheryl Lee and was created by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. She first appears in the ABC original series ''Twin Peaks''. A high schoo ...
" was revealed to be the fifth single to be released from the album, by lead vocalist, Dan Smith. It was released on 3 June 2013, and an accompanying video for the track premiered through the band's official VEVO page on 12 April 2013. The group joined English rock band
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
as a supporting act on their
The 2nd Law Tour
The 2nd Law World Tour was a worldwide concert tour by English alternative rock band Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of lit ...
in May 2013 and did so again in June 2013. In May 2013, Bastille released their ''Haunt'' EP in the US via iTunes. On Saturday 6 July the band headlined their first UK summer music festival at
Blissfields. Smith was quoted as saying "We're massively excited about our first ever headline slot at a festival. Particularly because we love Blissfields so much, and because they've been so supportive to us over the last couple of years." The performance coincided with the band appearing on the cover of a national music publication,
Notion magazine, for the first time. On 24 August 2013, "
Things We Lost in the Fire" was released as the sixth single from the band's debut album. A music video for the song was shot in
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
and
Kėdainiai
Kėdainiai () is one of the oldest cities in Lithuania. It is located north of Kaunas on the banks of the Nevėžis River. First mentioned in the 1372 Livonian Chronicle of Hermann de Wartberge, its population is 23,667. Its old town dates to ...
, Lithuania. On 3 September 2013, Bastille released their ''Bad Blood'' album in the US via iTunes.
On 9 October 2013 Bastille released a new single, "
Of the Night
"Of the Night" is a song by British band Bastille, released on 11 October 2013 as the lead single from ''All This Bad Blood'' (2013), a reissue of their debut studio album '' Bad Blood'' (2013). The song debuted at number two on the UK Singl ...
", a mash-up of the songs "
The Rhythm of the Night
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
" by
Corona
Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to:
* Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star
* Corona (beer), a Mexican beer
* Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...
and "
Rhythm Is a Dancer" by
Snap!
Snap! is a German Eurodance group formed in 1989 by Record producer, producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has been through a number of line-up changes over the years, including American singers, songwriters and rappers Thea A ...
. The single debuted at number two on UK Singles Chart. The song was promoting ''
All This Bad Blood
Bad Blood may refer to:
Film and television Films
* ''Bad Blood'' (1981 film), a British-New Zealand thriller by Mike Newell
* ''Bad Blood'' (1986 film) (''Mauvais Sang''), a French film by Leos Carax
* ''Bad Blood'', a 1999 British television ...
'', a reissue of the band's debut album, released on 25 November 2013. In January 2014 Will Farquarson said in an interview with ''
Billboard'' magazine that the band had already started to work on its second album in between tour dates.
The band performed on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' on 25 January 2014. On 4 February 2014 Bastille won the
BRIT Award
The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
for Best Breakthrough Act and performed a remixed version of "Pompeii" with
Rudimental
Rudimental are a British drum and bass band, signed to Asylum Records, Atlantic Records and Black Butter Records. The band consists of Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden and Leon "Locksmith" Rolle.
They were nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2013, and w ...
and their song "
Waiting All Night
"Waiting All Night" is a song by English drum and bass band Rudimental. It features vocals from English singer Ella Eyre. The song was released in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2013 as the fourth single from their debut studio album, ''Home (Ru ...
" at the
ceremony
A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion.
The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''.
Church and civil (secular) ...
. Two hours after their appearance, sales of ''Bad Blood'' were up by 132% to give them a second week at number one in the UK album chart and "Pompeii" had climbed 29 places in the singles. On 1 April 2014 the Official Charts Company announced that Bad Blood was the biggest selling digital album of 2013, and Number 11 in the over-all Official Artist Albums Top 40 of 2013. Also in April 2014, the band performed at the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...
at the Empire Polo Club in
Indio, California
Indio (Spanish language, Spanish for "Indian") is a city in Riverside County, California, Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, Califo ...
. On 31 May 2014, the band took part in the Annual
KROQ Weenie Roast
KROQ Weenie Roast is a multi-artist music concert, presented annually in May by the Los Angeles, California, modern rock radio station KROQ-FM. Since its beginning in 1993, it has been traditionally held on a Saturday in May or June, but due to th ...
in
Irvine, California
Irvine () is a Planned community, master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on ...
, performing among other bands including
The Neighbourhood
The Neighbourhood (sometimes rendered as "THE NBHD") is an American rock band formed in Newbury Park, California, in 2011. The band is composed of vocalist Jesse Rutherford, guitarists Jeremy Freedman and Zach Abels, and bassist Mikey Margot. ...
and
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...
. On 13 July 2014, Bastille played at
T in the Park
T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused ...
. In September 2014 they released the last single from ''Bad Blood'', "
Oblivion". The Bad Blood Tour finished in 2014. They were part of the supergroup
Band Aid 30
Band Aid 30 is the 2014 incarnation of the charity supergroup Band Aid. The group was announced on 10 November 2014 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, with Geldof stating that he took the step after the United Nations had contacted him, saying help w ...
whose version of "
Do They Know It's Christmas?
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a charity song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was first recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup assembled by Geldof and Ure consisting of pop ...
" was released in November and featured other artists such as
One Direction
One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...
and
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
. All proceeds of the song went towards helping the
2014 Ebola crisis.
It became the band's first UK #1.
''VS.'', ''Wild World'' (2014–2017)
In late 2013 Bastille began to play new songs called "Blame" and "Campus". Another song called "Oil On Water" was played during sound-check and leaked online. They began proper work on the album in 2014, and planned to start recording it in September.
Farquarson said that they had "16 or 17 tracks" demoed already for the album. He also said “We’re going into the studio in September to record; hopefully by then we’ll have 20 or maybe more. I think it’s always better to have more material and whittle it down. Our producer has gone on tour with us, so we’ve been doing things on our days off and during sound-checks."
Dan Smith said the album will include more guitars saying "we didn't have much of that on the first album and it may not end up on it but it would be quite interesting to try it out. We feel quite free. If we want to go quite electronic then we can and if we want to go rockier and indie then we can."
On 21 October 2014 Bastille announced their third mixtape, ''VS. (Other People's Heartache, Pt.III)'' with the release of their song "Torn Apart", featuring the artist's Grades and
Lizzo
Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo, is an American singer, rapper, and flutist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Texas with her family when she was 10 years old. After college she ...
, on
Zane Lowe
Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter.
After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...
's BBC Radio 1 show. They also wrote and recorded the song "The Driver" for the re-score of the film ''
Drive
Drive or The Drive may refer to:
Motoring
* Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle
* Road trip, a journey on roads
Roadways
Roadways called "drives" may include:
* Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive"
...
'' which was released a week later and also featured on the mixtape. ''VS. (Other People's Heartache, Pt.III)'' was released on 8 December 2014 and featured the Gemma Sharples Quartet,
Haim
The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name '' Haimo''.
Hebrew etymology
Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Ha ...
,
MNEK
Uzoechi Osisioma "Uzo" Emenike (born 9 November 1994), professionally known by his stage name MNEK (, ), is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He has been nominated for a Grammy and a Brit Award, and has received the ASCAP Vangua ...
, Tyde, Rationale,
Lizzo
Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo, is an American singer, rapper, and flutist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Texas with her family when she was 10 years old. After college she ...
, Grades,
Angel Haze
Raykeea Raeen-Roes Wilson (born July 10, 1991) known professionally as ROES (fka Angel Haze), is an American rapper and singer. In 2012, Wilson released the mixtape ''Reservation'' and later signed a record deal with Universal Republic Records b ...
, F*U*G*Z, Braque,
Rag'n'Bone Man
Rory Charles Graham (born 29 January 1985), better known as Rag'n'Bone Man, is an English singer and songwriter. He is known for his deep baritone voice. His first hit single, "Human", was released in 2016, and his debut album of the same nam ...
, and
Skunk Anansie
Skunk Anansie are a British rock band whose members include Skin (lead vocals, guitar), Cass (bass, guitar, backing vocals), Ace (guitar, backing vocals) and Mark Richardson (drums and percussion).
Skunk Anansie formed in 1994, disbanded in 2 ...
. In November 2014, Bastille was featured on the
Band Aid 30
Band Aid 30 is the 2014 incarnation of the charity supergroup Band Aid. The group was announced on 10 November 2014 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, with Geldof stating that he took the step after the United Nations had contacted him, saying help w ...
version of "
Do They Know It's Christmas?
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a charity song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was first recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup assembled by Geldof and Ure consisting of pop ...
".
They were nominated for
Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...
at the
57th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost out to
Sam Smith
Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...
.
In 2015, Bastille recruited a new touring member,
Charlie Barnes. On 22 September 2015, Bastille released an independent single called "Hangin". It was announced via
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
that their second album would be released in 2016. Also, during that summer, the band debuted two new songs live: "Grip" and "Snakes". In April 2016, the band debuted a new song entitled "The Currents". On 2 June 2016, the band uploaded a trailer including an excerpt from the then-unreleased song ''Two Evils'' announcing the name of the album to be
''Wild World''.
On 9 June, it was announced that the band's new single, "Good Grief", would be released on 16 June 2016. On 16 June 2016,
Annie Mac debuted "
Good Grief" on her
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
show as the "hottest record in the world." The track was immediately released to radio, streaming services, and for purchase following the debut. In an interview with Mac following the song's premiere, Dan Smith revealed that their second album would "go through a variety of sounds, but it is very much us
astille" On 24 June 2016, Bastille performed the songs "Good Grief" and "Two Evils" live for the first time at
Glastonbury Festival as part of their set on the Other Stage. On 30 June 2016, Bastille announced the release of the second LP ''Wild World'' and embarked on their Wild Wild World Tour in July. Released on 9 September, the album reached the top of the mid-week sales chart, while the band set up pop-up shops in London, New York and Los Angeles to promote the release. On 16 September, it was confirmed that ''Wild World'' had reached #1 on both the U.K. and Scottish album charts. The album won "Best Album" at the
2017 NME Awards. On
World Record Store Day 2017, the band released an original song titled "Comfort of Strangers."
The band was part of the '
Artists for Grenfell
"Bridge over Troubled Water" is a song by the American folk duo Simon & Garfunkel, released in January 1970 as the second single from their fifth studio album, '' Bridge over Troubled Water'' (1970). It was composed by Paul Simon and produced by ...
' charity single. Including other artists such as
Stormzy and
Rita Ora
Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut stud ...
, the cover of the
Simon & Garfunkel song "
Bridge Over Troubled Water" was released on 21 June 2017 to raise money for the victims of the
Grenfell Tower fire. It became the band's second UK #1.
''Doom Days'' and ''Other People's Heartache, Pt. IV'' (2018–2019)
The band announced their third studio album, which was released on 14 June 2019. Speaking to
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
, Smith said "We never really stop writing and recording, but I can confirm we spent a lot of this year writing our third album." On 1 September 2017, the band headlined the annual Pilton Party Held at Pilton Worthy Farm, home of
Glastonbury Festival. On 23 November 2017,
Craig David
Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is a British singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single " Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger. David's debut studio album, ''Born to Do It'', was released in 2000, after which he has re ...
and Bastille released "
I Know You,” the second single from David's album, ''
The Time Is Now.'' The single peaked at number 5 in 2018.
On 9 May 2018, "
Quarter Past Midnight", the first single from the group's third album ''
Doom Days'' was aired on BBC Radio 1.
On 17 August 2018, Bastille and
Marshmello
Christopher Comstock (born May 19, 1992), known professionally as Marshmello, is an American electronic music producer and DJ. His songs "Silence", "Wolves", "Friends", " Happier", and " Alone" have been certified multi-platinum in several ...
collaborated on the single "
Happier", which reached a high of 2 on the
UK Official Charts in October 2018 and the
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
in February 2019.
In early December 2018, the band announced a release date of 6 December 2018 for their single "
Grip" which features
EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
duo
Seeb
Al-Seeb, As Seeb or As Sib ( ar, السيب) is a coastal fishing city, located several kilometres northwest of Muscat, in northeastern Oman. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 470,878.
Landmarks include the Naseem Garden, the Royal ...
. Also released was "
Other People's Heartache, Pt IV" on 7 December 2018 which featured the likes of
Craig David
Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is a British singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single " Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger. David's debut studio album, ''Born to Do It'', was released in 2000, after which he has re ...
,
Jacob Banks
Jacob Banks (born 24 July 1991) is a Nigerian-born English singer and songwriter from Birmingham. Banks won the 2012 MOBO UnSung regional competition in Birmingham and the Adidas "Are You In" music competition. His music is influenced by a ran ...
,
James Arthur
James Arthur (born 2 March 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the ninth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2012. His debut single, a cover of Shontelle's " Impossible", was released by Syco Music after the fi ...
, Kianja, Lily Moore, Moss Kena,
Rationale, Swarmz, and
S-X. A limited edition Record Store Day 2019 version of the mixtape was released in independent record shops on 13 April 2019.
On 25 April 2019, Bastille released the second single and
title track
A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title.
Title track may a ...
from their third album ''
Doom Days''. On 2 May 2019, the third single from the album, "
Joy
The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness.
Dictionary definitions
Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...
", was premiered on Scott Mills' show on BBC Radio 1. A fourth single, "
Those Nights", was released on 4 June 2019 and was premiered on
Beats 1 with
Zane Lowe
Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter.
After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...
.
On 17 May 2019, Bastille was featured on American pop duo
FRENSHIP
Frenship (stylized FRENSHIP) is an American pop duo, consisting of James Sunderland and Brett Hite. They are best known for their 2016 single, "Capsize (song), Capsize".
Career
Sunderland and Hite met while working at the fitness store Lululem ...
's song titled "Won't Let You Go" on their debut album ''Vacation''.
On 14 June 2019, the band released their third album ''Doom Days''. It reached the top 5 in both the UK and US. The band made their "Pyramid Stage" debut at
Glastonbury
Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...
on 28 June 2019 as part of their promotion of the album. On 20 September 2019, they released 'Million Pieces' from the ''Doom Days'' album at the
Abbey Road studios
Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...
with The Chamber Orchestra of London, which was one of the new songs on the extended album ''Doom Days (This Got Out Of Hand).'' A music video for the band's song "Bad Decisions" was released on 25 September 2019. The fifth single from ''Doom Days'', "
Another Place
"Another place" or "the other place" is a euphemism used in many bicameral parliaments using the Westminster system, including Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
A member of one house will not usually refer directly to the other, but re ...
", was released on 25 October 2019 with Canadian singer
Alessia Cara
Alessia Caracciolo (born July 11, 1996), known professionally as Alessia Cara (), is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Born in Mississauga, Ontario, to Italian Canadian parents, she began posting covers of songs on YouTube at age 13. After uploadi ...
, as a rework of the original song on the album, with the second verse being changed to one written by Cara. On 6 December 2019, an extended version of the album was released with 11 new songs titled ''Doom Days (This Got Out Of Hand)''.
''Goosebumps EP'', ''ReOrchestrated'' and ''Give Me the Future'' (2020–present)
The band was one of 23 artists to feature on the
Live Lounge Allstars
"Times Like These" is a song by American rock band Foo Fighters. It is the fourth track from their fourth album '' One by One'', and was released as its second single on January 14, 2003.
Composition
The lyrics discuss how Dave Grohl felt "li ...
cover of the
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...
song "
Times Like These" to help raise funds for the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. The song was released on 23 April 2020, and 8 days later, became the band's third UK #1 single. On 30 July 2020, Bastille released a new song with
Graham Coxon
Graham Leslie Coxon (born 12 March 1969) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter who came to prominence as a founding member of the rock band Blur. As the group's lead guitarist and secondary vocalist, Cox ...
titled "
What You Gonna Do???". ''All This Bad Blood'' was released as a limited edition 2LP for
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
2020, for the first time on 29 August 2020. On 22 September 2020, the band released a new song titled "
Survivin'" which premiered on Apple Music's Zane Lowe Show. "What You Gonna Do???" and "Survivin'" were accompanied by another single "Goosebumps" on the
EP, ''Goosebumps EP'', released on 4 December 2020. "Goosebumps" was released on the same day and features
Kenny Beats
Kenneth Charles Blume III, known professionally as Kenny Beats, is an American record producer, audio engineer, and songwriter.
Early life
Kenneth Blume III was born and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. He has been studying music since the age ...
.
The band released an ReOrchestrated version of their song "Warmth" from their second album ''
Wild World'' as an
Amazon Music
Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights ...
exclusive on 15 January 2021. The audio was taken from their ReOrchestrated live show from the
Elbphilharmonie
The Elbphilharmonie (; "Elbe Philharmonic Hall"), popularly nicknamed Elphi, is a concert hall in the HafenCity quarter of Hamburg, Germany, on the Grasbrook peninsula of the Elbe River. It is among the largest in the world.
The new glassy con ...
in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
from 4 January 2020. An EP entitled "Roots of ReOrchestrated" was released on 19 March 2021. The band headlined
Standon Calling festival on 27 July and
Latitude Festival on 29 July with their ReOrchestrated show.
On 23 June, they released the first single from their upcoming album, entitled "Distorted Light Beam". The song was co-written and co-produced with
OneRepublic lead singer
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...
. On 15 July 2021, Bastille released the second single and title track from their fourth album ''
Give Me the Future''. On 10 August 2021, Dan Smith confirmed that a fourth album had been finished and already been pressed on CD and vinyl. On 18 August 2021, the third single "Thelma + Louise" was released, with an accompanying music video released on 2 September.
On 1 October 2021, Bastille teased the fourth single from ''Give Me The Future''. On 19 October 2021, they released "No Bad Days" and Dan Smith, speaking with
Zane Lowe
Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter.
After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...
, said that the album would be released on 4 February 2022. "Shut Off the Lights" was released on 14 January 2022. The album became the band's third UK number one album.
An extended version of the album, ''Give Me The Future + Dreams of the Past'' was announced on 28 July 2022 for release on 26 August. Singles "Run Into Trouble", with Brazilian DJ
Alok Alok is an Indian given name of Sanskrit origin.
People with the given name Alok
* Alok (DJ) (born 1991), Brazilian DJ and music producer
*Alok Bhargava (born 1954), Indian-American econometrician
* Alok R. Chaturvedi, Professor of Information Syst ...
, "Remind Me" and "Revolution" were released on 1 April, 9 June and 28 July, respectively, ahead of the album.
Name and musical style
The name of the band derives from
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In French, it is formally called the (; "French National Celebration"); legally it is known as (; "t ...
, which is celebrated on 14 July, Smith's birthday.
Bastille's musical style has been described as
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
,
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
,
electropop,
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
,
pop,
and
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
.
Media
Television
Bastille's music has been used on the TV soap ''
Hollyoaks
''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on ...
'' with one week in the early summer of 2012 focused on Bastille's song "
Laura Palmer
Laura Palmer is a fictional character in the ''Twin Peaks'' franchise. She is portrayed by Sheryl Lee and was created by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. She first appears in the ABC original series ''Twin Peaks''. A high schoo ...
". Their music also has been on: ''
Made in Chelsea
''Made in Chelsea'' (abbreviated ''MIC'') is a British structured-reality television series broadcast by E4. ''Made in Chelsea'' chronicles the lives of affluent young people in the West London and South West areas of Belgravia, King's Road, C ...
'' and ''
Waterloo Road''. The song "
Oblivion" was featured in season 4 episode 9 of ''
The Vampire Diaries
''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...
'' in December 2012. "
Things We Lost in the Fire" was used for the 2014
autumn trailer for English
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
''. They can also be heard on ''
Teen Wolf
''Teen Wolf'' is a 1985 American coming-of-age romantic fantasy comedy film directed by Rod Daniel and written by Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman. Michael J. Fox stars as the title character, a high school student whose ordinary life is chang ...
'' and on the fourth episode of ''
How to Get Away with Murder
''How to Get Away with Murder'' is an American legal thriller television series that premiered on ABC on September 25, 2014, and concluded on May 14, 2020. The series was created by Peter Nowalk, and produced by Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios. Th ...
'' with the
Naughty Boy
Shahid Khan ( ur, شاهد خان; born 1 January 1981), better known by his stage name Naughty Boy, is a British DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. In 2012, Khan signed a three–year publishing deal with Sony ATV, as well as a rec ...
collaboration "No One's Here to Sleep". The song "Haunt" can be heard in the season 1 finale of the TV series ''
Finding Carter
''Finding Carter'' is an American teen drama television series that aired on MTV for two seasons from July 8, 2014, to December 15, 2015. The series stars Kathryn Prescott as Carter Stevens, a teenage girl whose life is torn apart when she disco ...
''.
In August 2017, the band released a version of the
Green Day
Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
song "
Basket Case" for the
Peter Serafinowicz
Peter Szymon Serafinowicz ( ; born 10 July 1972) is an English actor, comedian, director and screenwriter, best known for his roles as the title character in the 2016 live-action series of '' The Tick'', Pete in ''Shaun of the Dead'' (2004) an ...
series ''
The Tick
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''.
Film
Their song "
Pompeii
Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...
" is featured in the 2014 movie ''
Mr. Peabody & Sherman''. The band's song "The Driver" was used in the re-scored soundtrack of the 2011 film ''
Drive
Drive or The Drive may refer to:
Motoring
* Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle
* Road trip, a journey on roads
Roadways
Roadways called "drives" may include:
* Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive"
...
'' produced for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
for its October 2014 TV broadcast. The band also featured on the ''
". On 9 November 2017, the band released a music video for “World Gone Mad”, a song for the Netflix movie ''
documentary "Bastille - ReOrchestrated".
''. The band's music has appeared in the ''
'' three times: "Weight of Living, Pt. II" in ''
''.
in November 2019. The gig was a world first as it was streamed via
. The advert was released on 13 January 2020.
In May 2021, the band recorded a cover of
advert.
'' (2013). They also went on to play the song on ''
'' (2013). They performed "
'' (2014). They performed "
(2013). They performed "
'' (2013). They returned to ''
". They performed "
'' (2014). They performed "
'' (2016). They performed "
'' (2016). They performed "
'' (2017). They performed "World Gone Mad" at the final of the
'' with contestant Noah Mac (2017). Alongside
'' (2017), before the rest of the band joined them to perform the song at the semi-final of the
'' (2017). The band made their fourth appearance on ''
". Along with
'' with the entire band (2018). They performed "
'' (2019). The band performed "Distorted Light Beam" at the
homecoming (2021). "Thelma + Louise" was performed live on ''
'' (2021). "No Bad Days" was performed live on ''
'' alone by Smith (2021). The band performed twice on ''
'' (2022), playing "Shut Off The Lights" and "Give Me The Future".
The band performed at the New Year's Eve Party 2015 at Hollywood, which was broadcast on ''
'', whilst they headlined the 2019 New Year's Eve Party. The band performed as one of the summer concert lineup for ''
'' (2016). They performed their song "
'' (2016). The band have performed on ''
(2019). The band performed on ''
'' as part of the GMA Summer Concert Series in 2019, as well as in 2021. The band performed "Bad Decisions" on ''
''. Their mashup of
Share The Stage'' highlights (2020). The band performed as part of the charity event ''Love Not War'' for
. The band's ''
on 23 December 2021 and globally throughout late December. The band performed as the headline act at the final of the
.
". They also performed the song at the
. They performed "
".
In 2017, all members of the band, and tour manager Dick Meredith, featured as extras in the final episode of
''.
Simmons and Meredith made the cut, whereas Smith, Wood, and Farquarson were cut out.
.