To celebrate the launch of their new album, Bastille held a series of intimate indie record store gigs across the UK. We went to one at Chalk in Brighton, in collaboration with local record store, Resident.

It was a Saturday night and the place was comfortably full, both with people and anticipation to hear some of the new tracks from their fourth album ‘Give Me The Future’. This album is a lockdown love child and reflects on the strangeness of living through these times. It encapsulates technology, with reference to play, Si-Fi and even dystopia. Give Me The Future has been named Bastille’s most electronic album to date, which I agree, it certainly got us dancing along in the car on our way to Brighton.

Opening the show was lead singer Dan Smith whose vocals were hugely impressive. He and the rest of the band performed a rare, stripped-back set including new takes on old-time classics like Happier. It was really quite something and a great teaser to their UK arena tour which kicks off in April. Bastille performed each song was slightly different to the original, with my favourite being a much more melodic Pompeii. We all sang along.

Bastille talked and joked between songs, fully engaging the audience. The word ‘cool’ doesn’t cut it, everything just flowed with these guys and they are clearly very talented. My main highlight was their performance of the new single Shut Off The Lights in which they asked the crowd to shout ‘shut off the lights’ at the top of our voices. A recording of our efforts was played back to us, “louder” was the feedback we received. So, we went again.

Since listening to the album Give Me The Future when it was released on the 4th of February, Shut Off The Lights has been pleasantly fixated in my head and not a day goes by without someone in our house humming along. If you haven’t already heard it, you need to.

I left this low-key gig with a newfound excitement for this year’s Victorious Festival. Bastille will be performing there on the Saturday and I for one, wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Website: bastillebastille.com
Facebook: facebook.com/bastilleuk
Twitter: twitter.com/bastilledan
Instagram: instagram.com/bastilledan

Words: Helen aka Little Portsmouth Foodies

Photos: Southsea Snapper