Bastille Tour Overview
Bastille (sometimes stylised as BΔSTILLE) are a British pop 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. Their first studio album, Bad Blood, was released in March 2013 and entered the UK Albums Chart at number one and included the hit single "Pompeii" which peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Bastille was nominated for four Brit Awards at the 2014 ceremony, winning the British Breakthrough Act. As of August 2021, the band have sold over eleven million records worldwide.
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 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, the Isle of Wight, Redfest, 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.
About Bastille
On 27 April 2012, their first official single release, "Overjoyed", was released through Virgin Records, 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 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 and Leeds, as well as supporting British singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé. They later played a small headlining tour, titled 'Flaws Tour' in October 2012, with Swiss Lips 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". 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. On 11 March, Bastille was announced to be playing at the Reading and Leeds Festival in August 2013.
Bastille Facts
- The pop band got its name from the annually celebrated Bastille Day on July 14. It is a significant historical event as it honors the storming of Bastille – a Paris prison, which then marked the events that led to the beginning of the French Revolution. Aside from these historical tidbits, July 14 is also Dan’s birthday!
- The pop icons confirmed they made a cameo in the award-winning show, despite Dan denying rumors that they had made a guest appearance. Kyle and Dick were filmed together with the undead army at around the film’s 72-minute mark, and what’s more, the band has also uploaded a photo from the set! In addition, on behalf of the band, Kyle expressed their love for Game of Thrones and how they felt equally honored as the cast and crew love their music. After that encounter, they set out for that most memorable cameo!
- Bastille's music has been used on the TV soap Hollyoaks with one week in the early summer of 2012 focused on Bastille's song "Laura Palmer". Their music also has been on: Made in Chelsea and Waterloo Road. The song "Oblivion" was featured in season 4 episode 9 of The Vampire Diaries in December 2012.
- Their song "Pompeii" is featured in racing game, DiRT 4, First Touch game, First Touch Soccer 15, the Konami game Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 and a remix of the song is featured in Need for Speed Rivals. The band's music has appeared in the FIFA video games three times: "Weight of Living, Pt. II" in FIFA 13, "Hangin'" in FIFA 16 and "Send Them Off!" in FIFA 17.
