Over the course of over 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’ was the biggest-selling digital album of 2013. They became that year’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. Since then ‘Bad Blood’ has gone triple platinum and sold over 1 million copies in the UK alone.
With over 11 million records sold, 6 UK top 40 singles and 1.7 billion video views, Bastille continue to be one of the world’s most streamed bands.