British pop/indie band Bastille are a staple within the UK music scene. The uber talented group have been to the top of the mountain and have had hit records around the world. What began as a solo project by lead vocalist Dan Smith, later expanded to include keyboardist Kyle Simmons, bassist and guitarist Will Farquarson and drummer Chris “Woody” Wood. Since the groups inception in 2010 they’ve won Brit awards, topped UK album charts and in February 2022 the group released their fourth studio album ‘Give me the future’. After the release of this monumental album the group announced one of their biggest Uk tours to date, tackling some of the UK’s biggest arenas and venues along the way. We were lucky enough to catch the lads as they took over Manchester’s AO Arena for a very special night of music. Support for the night came from The Native and Jack Garratt.
One thing has to be said about Bastille and that is that the production level they bring to a live show is next level. From trippy visuals, incredible storytelling throughout and an amazing performance from the whole band and backing singers, it was truly a spectacle like no other. The boys kicked off the night with a bang as Dan appeared from the giant LED screens and smoke and got the night started with “Stay awake?”. It felt like an incredibly special night and you could tell the fans in attendance had nothing but admiration for the band and Bastille clearly fed off of this energy and put it straight back into their performance. Fan favourites like “Happier”, “Good Grief” and the legendary hit “Pompeii” were all played throughout the night and in a mind-blowing moment Dan even jumped into the crowd mid performance and played a song whilst literally surrounded by those who had standing tickets in the arena venue. Bastille ended the night in dramatic fashion with encores of “Hope for the future” and “Shutt off the lights”. This was a show that will stick with me for a very long time and even now I’m still mesmerised by the display that they put on for everyone in attendance. You have to see Bastille live if you get the chance.
BASTILLE
Photos by Lewis Roberts | Exclusively for @Music,Why Not!