Bastille
Hordern Pavilion, January 27
★★★½
This is how it might feel if the apocalypse was hyper-stylised and the last party on Earth was fronted by a swearing Londoner. On this tour in support of album Doom Days, the Brit four-piece Bastille showed off a visually gorgeous, tightly produced rave-fest designed for the end of days.
Under a giant, ominous ticking clock, Bastille’s traditionally voluminous musical arrangements, chock-full of thudding, layered drums and electric guitar, were turned up too high on hedonistic opener Quarter Past Midnight – it felt crowded and the vocals that carry the song got lost in the haze.
Brit four-piece Bastille staged a rave-fest designed for the end of days.
But this was soon fixed and frontman Dan Smith’s distinctive voice rose through. Smith’s voice, which in studio recordings can sound polished to the point of anonymity, carried a great deal more grit and character live. His energy too led the charge through the show, as he bounded across the stage and wandered through the venue shadowed by a spotlight, high-fiving fans without skipping a beat on old favourite Flaws.
The techno-dystopian party mood continued with the house-inspired The Waves: “Suddenly we're fallin' through the twilight zone/Watch the party playing out in slow motion,” crooned Smith.
Spooky reverb guitar brought in Icarus, overlaid by a computerised Alexa-like voice. Combined with a constantly evolving backdrop – a glowing red moon, pixelated internet-scapes, a multicoloured tunnel filmed to make you feel like you were barrelling through it – the high production values almost felt like watching a music video, live.
Frills aside, hand-clap stadium pop driven by big, atmospheric drum beats remains Bastille’s bread and butter. Marshmello collaboration Happier was all feel-good dance pop, a vibe that carried through to the glossy, gospel-charged Joy. The chemistry between band members was palpable, too – there’s nothing better than watching a band who obviously dig each other.
Then, finally, the instantly recognisable introduction to Pompeii began – the echoing vocalising that Smith calls “the two syllables we somehow made a career out of”.
Making the most of their distinctive, echoing sound, Bastille came through with a visually compelling show to send off the world.
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