Bastille, Auckland NZ, 2020

Bastille

23rd January 2020
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Lauren Sanderson. Photography by Richard Myburgh.

We first fell in love with British indie pop superstars Bastille when they burst onto the scene in 2013 with their debut album BΔD BLOOD and ever since then they’ve been smashing charts and putting on amazing sell-out performances all over the world. Last night they brought the party all the way down to us at Spark Arena.

After playing a gig at the Rhythm & Vines and Rhythm & Alps festivals back in 2014, Bastille have finally returned to celebrate their third studio album DOOM DΔYS. If their past performances in New Zealand are anything to go by, we know that we were in for an epic night of storytelling, musical wizardry and a darn good time.

Auckland R&B duo Jupiter Project kicked off the night with their alternative, hip-hop, electronica sound. Jupiter Project is Gavin Correia and Marty Rich. The story is that they met while studying at college and eventually hit the studio in 2009 to try their hand at producing tracks together, and, well the rest is history. They certainly had the crowd pumped from the get go and ready for the night ahead.

I first saw Bastille when I was a teenager at a small gig in London and was besotted with their music, so I was a little apprehensive about seeing them on a much bigger scale in an arena setting. However, as they entered the stage and the screams of excitement filled the air I got the same warm fuzzy feeling I had with my first encounter with them and in an instant knew that it was going to be a great night. In fact, I wasn’t wrong – I think it’s fair to say that it was even better than what I expected.

The first thing I noticed was the endearing graphics spread across the back wall that constantly evolved throughout the night – a digital clock and a window, the curtains pulled back to reveal a bustling cityscape. The clock ticking as the crowd waited in anticipation until finally, the sweet harmonic symphonies of ‘Quarter Past Midnight’ drifted in.

Frontman Dan Smith certainly brought the energy, dishing out good vibes from the get go. This contagious vitality had the crowd bouncing along to the alluring beats and chanting each lyric word for word.

Bastille are known for not shying away from society’s problems in their albums and DOOM DΔYS is no different, although Smith explains that this album is also about escapism and having fun. It certainly was easy to forget about the world’s problems when you’ve got Bastille playing an epic two hour set in front of you.

‘Send Them Off’ was up next followed by a crowd favourite ‘Things We Lost In The Fire’ – it was here that it became evident that this wasn’t an ordinary concert, instead more of a journey.

In fact, the night was broken up into three acts, which guided us through this apocalyptic party with ease, allowing us not to miss a beat. As the tracks evolved, so did the graphics on the screen, showcasing a devastated landscape full of atomic clouds and radioactive particles.

On a brighter note, ‘Happier’ seemingly hypnotised the audience with everybody jumping simultaneously with their hands thrown in the air. The backdrop showcased a colourful Auckland city landscape, which was a nice touch.

During much-loved track ‘Flaws’ (which they have none, may I add) Smith got up close and personal with the crowd, leaving the stage to become part of the audience highlighting the big role that their fans play for the band.

Although Smith is the frontman, each band member played their part addressing the crowd and introducing tracks. Drummer Chris Wood was constantly on his feet encouraging the crowd to clap, jump, scream and he even got us to create an ocean of lights using our phones for track ‘4AM’, which is inspired by a love of Frank Ocean’s album Blonde. This track felt extremely intimate and had us connecting with the band on a much deeper level again.

‘Joy’ had Spark Arena lit up and brought a spot of optimism and positivity to a topic that many of us can relate to – dealing with the anxieties of life, everything you’ve done and said, the problems of the world you’ve been trying to forget, when all of a sudden they come flooding back in. And that feeling of joy you get when someone calls you and sets your head straight.

Instead of doing an encore Smith suggested that they remain on stage and we pretend that they left, which went down well with the crowd as loud applause filled the arena.

One of the highlights of the night had to be during ‘Of The Night’ as Smith invited us to “embarrass ourselves” with them and of course, we obliged. Everyone was told to crouch down on the ground and on Smiths command with the beat kicking in we all jumped up hysterically.

We then lost our minds to ‘Million Pieces’ before regaining them for the last track of the night ‘Pompeii’, which saw the night end exactly how it started – hands thrown in the air like we just don’t care, rhythmically clapping along.

Before departing Bastille apologize for not coming to New Zealand sooner and judging by tonight’s reaction all is forgiven. Just don’t leave it five years until your next visit boys!

Were you there at Spark Arena for this brilliant British indie pop group? Or have you seen Bastille perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

Act 1: Still Avoiding Tomorrow

• Quarter Past Midnight
• Send Them Off!
• Things We Lost in the Fire
• The Waves
• Two Evils
• Happier (Marshmello & Bastille)
• Bad Decisions
• Flaws

Act 2: Those Nights

• Those Nights
• 4AM
• Bad Blood
• Doom Days
• Blame

Act 3: The Morning Doesn’t Reach Us

• Joy
• Another Place
• Good Grief
• Of the Night
• Million Pieces
• Pompeii

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