Bastille thrive in intimate settings as new album shoots to UK Number One

On the eve of achieving their third UK Number One Album, Bastille brought the house down in Nottingham in an intimate gig this week.

Singer Dan Smith and touring member Charlie Barnes appeared at The Level for one of several stripped-back gigs the band has been playing to promote their new album ‘Give Me The Future’.

Securing the gig was a massive coup for the venue, which is owned by Nottingham Trent Student Union and has also hosted Dua Lipa, Tinie Tempah and Rudimental in recent years.

With Platform’s representatives having the pleasure of attending, these were their thoughts on the night…

Gianluca Spataro

Bastille’s performance was both comedic and entertaining as Dan Smith and Charlie Barnes put on an incredible interactive performance.

Smith mentioned before the show that he had a chest infection, but you really couldn’t tell from the way he was singing.

The Level was absolutely packed with people of all ages; I was expecting there to be more students, however it was mainly full of incredibly tall, slightly older folks.

It was very hard to see anything at times, especially for people not blessed with height like myself.

The Level also decided to unexpectedly crank up their drinks prices; nearly everything was £5, costing you an arm and a leg for just a single pint. God knows what that was about…

The performance overall was a fantastic experience and definitely worth it, especially as we received a free CD upon entry.

The only disappointing thing was the fact Bastille only signed a few things for fans, but you could argue they made up for it with their impressive performance.

Scarlett Acres (Treasurer / Head of Marketing)

Bastille played a brilliant treat to fans old and new.

With fans travelling or university students deciding to join for the night, The Level was the perfect place for a fun and intimate gig from Bastille.

The singing was truly incredible and there was a very fun atmosphere throughout the night.

From having their tweets read out to having requests answered, the crowd were having a blast.

There was a great mix of popular songs such as ‘Pompeii’, ‘Happier’ and ‘Good Grief’, but also singles from their new album which came out this month.

It’s great to see a student union have such amazing live music, with students and other fans being able to enjoy in Nottingham.

Will Hugall (Music Editor)

Smith and Barnes played to the setting perfectly, with an eight-song set stretched out to just over an hour by some engaging interaction with a capacity crowd.

The set included established hits, new releases such as ‘Shut Off The Lights’ and even an improvised piece using dreams submitted by the audience as inspiration.

The band showed an incredible knack for transforming arena-sized hits for a smaller venue, and crucially also revelled in their proximity to the audience.

Their witty humour made it feel at times like being in a podcast booth with the duo, with each joke hitting the target amongst their adoring fans.

Clearly, Bastille are at a point in their career where they are established, self-assured and thriving.

Their ability to execute stripped-back shows like this, with just two keyboards, two microphones and a few other gadgets, while also selling out arenas in their European tour later this year, is a testament to their versatility.

All this goes without mentioning that the new album is very decent too.

It sees the band release some of their most exciting material since 2013’s debut ‘Bad Blood’, as their fearless songwriting takes a prismatic view of the pandemic and the socio-political effects of being isolated and technology-obsessed.

The use of the source material is entirely unique as well, which is an impressive feat on its own.

Bastille are pointed, introspective and meaningful on this album, and with it shooting straight to Number One in the Official UK Charts, it was a real treat to see parts of it performed live in such an intimate space.

The Level, meanwhile, hosts Nouvelle Vague and The Coral next month, which will surely again be amazing events to see live.

Tickets for both events – as well as newly-announced events in April and May – are available now.

All images courtesy of Scarlett Acres and Will Hugall.