BASTILLE + JACKO HOOPER – CHALK, BRIGHTON 12.2.22
Local Bastille fans must surely be overjoyed as the band’s brand new album, ‘Give Me The Future’, has gone flying in at No.1 in the Official UK Album Chart and the guys were also here in Brighton for a sold out show at CHALK in order to play a stripped down set.
Fans were able to attend this evening’s performance as they had purchased the album as a package from Resident records in Kensington Gardens. Entry to tonight’s show was in association with local promoters One Inch Badge.
Bastille are a British Rock band formed by Dan Smith back in 2010 and began as a solo project and later expanded to include Kyle Simmons, bassist and guitarist Will Farquarson and drummer Chris ‘Woody’ Wood and touring member on synthesisers and backing vocals, Charlie Barnes.
Bastille have gone from strength to strength from their the initial 2013 studio album release ‘Bad Blood’ and hit single ‘Pompeii’, which has featured in video games as well as TV shows.
Support this evening came from local singer songwriter Jacko Hooper of The Folklore Rooms fame. He performed a short mesmerising set with his immaculately performed guitar chords to an already eager and packed out Chalk venue crowd. Bastille were meanwhile operating a busy signing session for the ‘Give Me The Future’ album for a large queue of fans gathered at the back of the venue.
Jacko Hooper has in the past supported the likes of Passenger and James Bay on tour and his songs are sometimes about anxiety and emotion and he delivers his tunes with expressive, meaningful thoughts.
The usual Bastille on tour affair will inevitably feature lead vocalist Dan Smith running around on larger stages accompanied with full on bass and percussion, but tonight’s album promo set is quite different. This evening has a Star Trek reference as it is ‘Seven Of Nine’, as in date seven of nine intimate indie store events. They have already visited Edinburgh, Dundee, Preston, Leeds, Nottingham and Bristol prior to tonight and from here will whizz along the M27 to Southampton before hitting up Kingston on Valentine’s Day.
The CHALK crowd were greeted by Dan proclaiming to the fans that “tonight will be different as the band will be seated and one band member short”. Kyle Simmons who plays piano, keyboards, bass and sings backing vocals was not in attendance this evening.
The audience interaction is high with this show with laughter and banter amongst the band members and they felt they were a tad bit rusty with not being on tour now for more than two years and this show was more unrehearsed!
They started the set with ‘Future Holds’ which is taken from the new album ‘Give Me The Future’. Other compositions heard tonight from the album were the title track, ‘Distorted Light Beam’, ‘No Bad Days’ and final number ‘Shut Off The Lights’.
Dan had asked the queuing audience beforehand what their dreams were and these were read out aloud which held together the evenings entertainment in-between the songs!.
As the night comes to a climax, Bastille keeps the audience on their feet with the more danceable ‘Pompeii’ and the aforementioned ‘Shut Off The Lights’, with Dan getting everyone to sing along to the chorus lines and join in when they can. It’s clear that Bastille can write a good hook with catchy bass lines, which all come together for a good night out!
Bastille normally consist of:
Dan Smith – lead vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar (2010–present)
Kyle Simmons – piano, keyboards, backing vocals, bass (2010–present)
Will Farquarson – guitar, bass, backing vocals, piano, keyboards (2010–present)
Chris “Woody” Wood – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2010–present)
Along with touring member Charlie Barnes – guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals, percussion, bass (2015–present)
Bastille setlist:
‘Intro Tape’ (‘Promises’)
‘Future Holds’
‘Happier’ (Marshmello & Bastille cover)
‘Power’
‘Warmth’
‘Give Me The Future’ (including ‘Dreams’ section)
‘Distorted Light Beam’ (snippet of ‘Believe’) (Cher cover)
‘No Bad Days’
‘Good Grief’
‘Pompeii’
‘Shut Off The Lights’
Missed this evening’s concert? Fear not as Bastille will be heading off in earnest on their
‘Give Me The Future Tour 2022’ at the end of March, where they will be performing in large arenas right across the country. This includes a date at the Brighton Centre on Monday 18th April. Purchase your tickets for this forthcoming concert HERE.
The full UK tour dates are as follows:
Thursday 31 March – Bournemouth International Centre
Friday 01 April – Hull Bonus Arena
Thursday 07 April – London, The O2
Friday 08 April – Manchester, AO Arena
Sunday 10 April – Glasgow, O2 Academy
Monday 11 April – Glasgow, O2 Academy
Wednesday 13 April – Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena
Thursday 14 April – Birmingham, O2 Academy
Friday 15 April – Birmingham, O2 Academy
Sunday 17 April – Plymouth Pavilions
Monday 18 April – Brighton Centre
Bastille: Instagram / Twitter / ‘Linktree‘
Great review of a great night, I never realised they were signing at the back! I was too busy trying to find any space towards the front, it was utterly full that night.
Thanks for your comment Ben.