Bastille performed at Alexandra Palace on 14 July 2023, to celebrate 10 years since the release of their debut album Bad Blood (2013). The performance took place on the French national day of Bastille Day, which is also lead singer Dan Smith’s birthday – hence the band’s name. I remember seeing Bastille perform at Ally Pally on the 6 March 2014, this was the first time I saw Bastille perform live and was an unforgettable night. 10 years later and they are still chart topping and producing music of lyrical elegance.
Review
When I booked these tickets last year in the dark depths of winter, I thought how idyllic the idea of sitting on the top of Alexandra Palace park in the July sun watching the sun. In reality, heavy rain and dark clouds encapsulated the run up to the evening, however this is quite fitting when performing their hit song Pompeii as the “Grey clouds roll over the hills, Bringing darkness from above”. This didn’t stop crowds to the muddy hill looking out across London. Thankfully the rain held off during the performance, despite the torrential rain prior. I managed to snag a good spot at the top of the hill looking down to the stage and settled in to a night of celebrating an iconic album that shaped my teen years and music taste. Bastille had three support acts INJI, Etta Marcus and Freya Ridings. These acts kept spirits and morale high despite the terrible weather.
Bastille arrived on stage after a video montage of clips taken from their Bad Blood Tour diaries from around 2013 that documented their rise of fame and success. This was a surreal moment for me as I remember watching these videos on YouTube in 2014 and it is difficult to comprehend how 10 years have flown by already. The iconic and familiar sounds of Pompeii filled the park and the evening began full of energy and anticipation. Bastille performed their debut album Bad Blood from start to finish and it was brilliant to hear songs that are sometimes forgotten from previous tour setlist such as Get Home, Weight of Living II, and the draw. Some of my personal favourites. I realised as I was happily singing along to the album, how much remembering the lyrics was muscle memory and how much of this album is engrained in my memory. This emphasises how important the music we listen to when we grow-up is to us. The video montages from previous tours was a celebratory nod towards where the band has come from and how grateful they are for their success. This was a way to show appreciation to their fans from the start, as well as the ones they have collected along the way. Once the album was played in its entirety, the ‘encore’ of such happened, where the band played songs ‘Beyond Bad Blood’ as the screen stated, such as Good Grief, Million Pieces, WHAT YOU GONNA DO??? and Of the night. A special surprise was No Angels that was a part of Bastille’s Other People’s Heartache mixtape series, featured Ella Eyre on stage that brought the show into a full circle. I remember seeing Ella Eyre on stage on 15 July 2014 when Bastille performed at Somerset House. The band also commemorated Dan Smith’s birthday by singing Happy Birthday.
Overall, Bastille’s performance at Ally Pally was phenomenal despite the rain and I am always in awe at their production skills and Dan Smith’s ability to command the stage despite his own nerves. The vocals was insanely accurate to the original and highlights their dedication to creating unforgettable shows that fans will remember for a long time. Cheers to another 10 years of music and success to Bastille. I am eagerly awaiting what the band will produce next, but for now I will be listening to Bad Blood X (tenth anniversary edition, released 14 July 2023) on repeat!
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