It’s fair to say that the last two years have seen Bastille storm to the top of the rock game, with sell-out shows, number one albums and awards stacking up. The British rock band, formed in South London, will be bringing their success to Australia this month with much anticipated dates in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Bastille, led by front man Dan Smith, return to Australia following a successful series of gigs here last year, when their Melbourne and Sydney gigs sold out in less than 24 hours. The band is the latest in British rock artists touring in Australia, with solo act Passenger also announcing a tour early next year. As they gear up for their tour, we take a look at what fans need to know.
Bad Blood
The 2014 Bad Blood Tour is named after Bastille’s first studio album of the same name, released in March 2013. It’s hard to believe that they’ve managed to conquer the world in such a short amount of time, with successful sell-out gigs across Europe and the USA, where they have a massive following. Their fourth single from the album, Pompeii, has become one of the tunes of the year, after becoming platinum selling in the UK and double platinum in the USA. It’s sure to become increasingly popular here too after Blake Leggett performed Pompeii on The Voice Australia Showdown on Sunday (June 8), powering through the upbeat track and bringing it to the attention of millions of Australians.
As live performances go, their stage presence has the reputation of all rock giants attracting thousands of positive reviews from fans and critics. Their tracks adapt especially well to live performances, especially the chanting in Pompeii, a feature rarely used in pop music, but which has made the single a massive hit. Smith told Alternative Addiction: “Because a lot of my songs start in my bedroom where it’s just me, I layer my vocal a lot. That’s sort of one of themes on the album. With Pompeii, it seemed important to get some other voices on the track on that vocal line.” The single is inspired by the Roman tragedy of the same name, explaining the haunting melodies of the surprisingly upbeat track.
Global success
With all the touring the band has done in the past 18 months, it’s amazing that they have also released an extended version of their debut album, called All This Bad Blood, and have found the time to work on recording their second album. The Brits’ hard work is paying off as they have racked up more than 2 million album sales in their home country, as well as taking home the British Breakthrough Award at the 2014 Brit Awards in February. Their sell-out tour in the USA, which sold out in New York, Massachusetts and Michigan, has also helped them increase their global exposure and they’re heading back to the States and Canada later this year.
Support acts
The band announced on Facebook in April: “We're massively excited about heading back to Australia in June to play some live shows. We'll be touring with Foxes which should be fun.” Fellow Brit Foxes – aka Louisa Rose Allen – won her first Grammy award this year for her dance track Clarity, which had huge success in the USA. The band will also be joined by Aussie DJ Alison Wonderland, who performed at the official Grammy's after party, as well as the Brit Awards after party in London.
The nice guys of rock
Bastille are unusual in the genre for their reputation as the ‘good guys of rock’, famously rebuking the age-old myths that rockers have to be surrounded by rumours of drug addiction, drink and girls. Staying ‘clean’ is extremely difficult when surrounded by temptations, according to drug and alcohol rehab specialists Addiction Treatment, in particular faced with the ‘rock and roll’ lifestyle enjoyed by famous music stars. But three quarters of the band have girlfriends back home and shun the female attention that comes with being global rock gods. Despite this, Bastille will undoubtedly have legions of female fans following them on their Australia tour and are even doing a meet and greet for selected lucky followers.
Tour details
Bastille will be at the Brisbane Convention Centre on Friday, June 13, in Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, on Saturday, June 14, at Festival Hall, Melbourne on Sunday, June 15 and in the Challenge Stadium, Perth, Wednesday, June 18.
- Susie Godwin
