Since the days of The Beatles, the United Kingdom has continued to export great musical acts. Bastille just happens to be one of the latest English bands to burst onto the scene and gain international acclaim. The group is the brainchild of Dan Smith, who borders on musical genius and has had a hand in not only writing Bastille’s hit songs but has also helped to write hit songs for other artists. Smith has turned Bastille into one of the best bands to come out of England in the 21st century and a group that puts on an incredible live show.

Volcanic Eruption

Bastille’s rise to fame all started with their 2013 breakout hit “Pompeii,” a reference to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that buried the town of Pompeii. The song instantly struck a chord with audiences and launched Bastille to worldwide fame. For a song about an event that took place in 73 AD, “Pompeii” has a timeless element to it, earning Bastille large sums of credibility in the music world.

Just Happy

A few years after the success of “Pompeii,” many critics were starting to believe that Bastille was simply a one-year wonder that would never replicate the success of its first hit, the band released the song “Happier” in 2018 in collaboration with DJ Marshmello. Originally intended for Justin Bieber, Bastille decided to keep “Happier” for themselves in what turned out to be a great decision. The song tells a sad story but with an upbeat rhythm, which resonated with audiences in a different way from “Pompeii.”

In the Lexicon

Over the years, Bastille has become firmly entrenched into the musical landscape. Even outside of their two biggest hits, the band has brought its unique brand of synthetic pop music to a wide array of films, TV shows, and even video games. Bastille has had multiple songs featured in the FIFA series of video games, TV shows like The Vampire Diaries and How to Get Away with Murder, and the movie Mr. Peabody and Sherman. If you look closely, you’ll even see a couple of the members of Bastille as extras in an episode of Game of Thrones. Of course, the preferred setting for checking out Bastille is to see the band live in concert.