Bastille
about the artist
Over the course of a decade together, Bastille's unique sound — that cinematic, melancholic pop that masks the bleak realities reflected in their lyrics — has connected with audiences across the globe like no other British band in recent memory.
In 2011 South Londoner, Dan Smith, started Bastille alone in his bedroom, releasing 300 copies of Bastille's debut single. Relentless gigging, genuine word of mouth, some smartly curated mixtapes meant that within a few years — and with Chris Wood (drums), Will Farquarson (guitar) and Kyle Simmons (keyboards) added to the line-up, Bastille became a global phenomenon.
The band's chart-conquering…
MoreOver the course of a decade together, Bastille's unique sound — that cinematic, melancholic pop that masks the bleak realities reflected in their lyrics — has connected with audiences across the globe like no other British band in recent memory.
In 2011 South Londoner, Dan Smith, started Bastille alone in his bedroom, releasing 300 copies of Bastille's debut single. Relentless gigging, genuine word of mouth, some smartly curated mixtapes meant that within a few years — and with Chris Wood (drums), Will Farquarson (guitar) and Kyle Simmons (keyboards) added to the line-up, Bastille became a global phenomenon.
The band's chart-conquering twice No.1 debut album "Bad Blood," which featured the international hit, 'Pompeii,' drove Bastille to became 2013's biggest-selling global breakthrough act, with over a billion Spotify streams earning them the British Breakthrough Act award at the 2014 Brits, along with two Grammy nominations.
Bastille's second album 'Wild World' retained the vivid, rich, filmic song-writing of its predecessor but pushed the band's distinctive sound in exciting new directions. Like Bad Blood the album scored a No.1 in the UK and Top 5 in the U.S with the record's lead single, Good Grief achieving the most week-one streams ever for an alternative single and scoring them a nomination for British Group at the 2017 Brits.
In 2018 the band collaborated with Marshmello on hit single, "Happier,." The track topped charts around the world, with cumulative streams exceeding 3.5 billion, is now certified 5x Platinum in the U.S. and has sold more than 15 million units in the rest of the world. It has spent a record breaking year at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic songs tally.
Bastille's third album, "Doom Days" received huge critical acclaim and charted in the top 5 in both the UK and U.S, the only UK band to have achieved that chart landmark alongside The Beatles and Queen in 2019. The record found the band at their most lyrically provocative, most accomplished, and most vital and charts the course of one night in search of distraction from the surrounding apocalypse.
Their fourth album, the masterful "Give Me The Future," was hailed by many critics as their best release to date, with The Fader describing it as "a grand collection of sci-fi inspired songs attempting to make sense of the world's fast-moving venture into dystopia." NME said: "The result is the most expansive, yet cohesive record Bastille have put their name to," adding that the band may have "created a perfect soundtrack to life after lockdown." The Independent, meanwhile, declared: "When confined within Bastille's catchy hooks and imaginative, eraspanning production, what lies ahead suddenly isn't so terrible. The future is bright — for 30 minutes' worth of bops, at least." become the norm in the not-too-distant future.
Since the release of the record, Bastille have created an immersive experience at their sold out gigs, bringing the themes of the album to life in arenas across the UK and the world. With over 10 million records sold, Bastille continue to be one of the world's most streamed bands.