Bastille is a British indie/pop band formed in 2010 by lead singer Dan Smith. The band is composed of four members: Dan Smith, Kyle Simmon, Will Farquarson, and Chris Wood. Bastille gained popularity with their 2013 debut album "Bad Blood" which reached number one on the charts and included their hit single "Pompeii". Their music has been influenced by the TV series "Twin Peaks" and features references to its director David Lynch. Bastille appeals mainly to a young audience and effectively uses social media to engage with fans.

1. BASTILLE Band Profile

2. FACTS
-Bastille were formed in 2010
-British Indie/pop band
-Started originally by lead singer Dan Smith as an individual project.
-The four members now include: Dan Smith (Lead singer), Kyle Simmon (Keyboardist), Will
Farquarson (Bassist and guitarist) and Chris Wood (Drummer).
-The band signed to Virgin Records after their self release of their EP ‘Laura Palmer’ in 2011.
-With Virgin, they released their studio album ‘Bad Blood’ in 2013 and it entered the charts at
no.1 with their hit single ‘Pompeii’ hitting no.2 in the singles charts. This is when the band
gained mass popularity.
-‘Pompeii’ was the UK’s most streamed song up until June 2014.
-Won Best British Breakthrough Act in 2014.
-Their second album ‘Wild World’ has just been released in September 2016.

3. PERSONALITY
The band was created and named by lead singer, Dan Smith, due to his Birthday being Bastille day. A
lot of the bands work and dark themes are influenced by the serial drama TV series “Twin Peaks” as
Dan Smith is a big fan. The hit single ‘Laura Palmer’ is named after one of the lead characters in the
show. Many of their songs include references to its director, David Lynch. This would explain the
common theme of classic television in the bands recent album ‘Wild World’. Many of their songs have
deeper meanings and are not about trivial things like many other artists, fitting them into the indie
genre, but also their upbeat and catchy songs also giving them a pop feel.
The main protagonist in the majority of the videos is Dan Smith. The rest of the band are not featured
often as few live performance clips are used, not giving the whole band much reason to be shown in
the videos. Dan Smith may then be seen as the face of Bastille and that he thinks of himself more
highly than the rest of the band. Even if this is not the case, it is understandable that it may be seen
this way, as Dan is the lead singer, and he more or less created the group.
Bastille appeal and are listened to mainly by a young audience. This is shown by how at one point they
had a song that was the most streamed in the UK, a rather modern way to get music and mainly used
by young people. This also includes their use of social media to interact with their fans. For example,
geo-filters on snapchat meant they could place landmarks around the globe, which revealed the
names of song titles to the public for the first time.
Despite the American influences on their songs, especially their latest album, the band has a strong
British image. This may be due to Dan Smiths recognisably southern voice which is not lost through
his singing like many artists. It is easy to sound American through singing as elongating vowels
neutralises the accent which can create a general American accent. Dan Smiths unique British voice
appeals to many.