Bad Blood X: 10 Year Anniversary - Album Review
August 25, 2023
Fresh off of a slot of summer festival tours and an amazing run to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the bands 2013 record Bad Blood comes “Bad Blood X” with several unreleased tracks and demos that have been sitting in lead singer Dan Smith’s hard drive for a decade. What started off as a bedroom project on a Macbook in Smith’s post university flat, has catapulted his and bandmates Chris Woody, Kyle Simmons and Will Farquarson to an elevated status. One that has seen them travel the world, participate in loads of charitable projects and have played in some pretty epic venues, namely the Royal Albert Hall in 2018 and the O2 Arena on the Give Me The Future tour on April 7, 2022. These fellas have proven with every record they’ve released that they have remained as passionate as ever all the while utilizing and challenging societal and social norms of what a band of their status should look, and sound and act like. Accompanied by Charlie Barnes, they put together an iconic and unforgettable performance for MTV’s Unplugged Series and cemented that performance for all eternity in a vinyl pressing released this past spring for Record Store Day 2023. What a fantastic time to be a fan of Bastille and to remember the last decade of their career.
We’ll have a special review of their Alexandra Palace tour stop from our very own Anna but for now, let’s take a walk down memory lane.
The beginning.
I did not know what I was in for when I had stumbled on the London-based bands music in the spring of 2013. I was an emotional mess and that showed in my downward spiral on a night when I would stare into a dimly light Macbook screen for hours watching a plethora of Bastille videos. Bad Blood came on, the music video which perplexed me but piqued my general curiosities and of course I had to see more. So down the rabbit hole I went, and much like Alice landing in Wonderland, I was in for quite the adventure. I did not even know how they looked as a band. I was so impressed with their harmonies, use of imagery and symbolism and stunning vocals. I was also quite pleased to then find out who they were, individual their talented vocals and musicianship were flawless, but together they were a force. Which then pushed me to break out of a 4 hour downward spiral long enough to go to bed so that I can make my way to a record store to pick up their record.
I did not get to see them live for an entire year but I followed what they did on social media and of course I listened to them all over Itunes and Spotify. I had a chance to see them live when I had by chance signed up for tickets to see them play a few promotional shows across the country on the Mercedes Benz tour. I saw Bad Blood for their first time and was captivated and enamored by it all. And then I fell in love with Laughter Lines – a song which would follow me through a break-up, three solo international trips and countless of nights of grief, forgiveness and every emotion in between. It’s been quite the decade filled with many magical moments, but one that I can wholeheartedly say was worth the ride and sleepless nights.
Bastille live at The Met Philly - June 15, 2022 - Photos taken by Meg Duong
Bad Blood X - The 10th Anniversary Record
Many of the songs featured on disc two of the July 14, 2023 release have had the chance to grace my ears and speakers many times. During car rides, deep cleaning rituals on a rainy weekend or just an impromptu dance party. But with this release, Dan Smith and company have been so stoked to share a collage of photos taken during the Bad Blood recording process as well as some key moments in the touring of the album. Beau Colburn recalled on his Instagram a SXSW moment back in March 2013 in Austin that he snapped of Dan Smith starting the song “Flaws” by making his way from the stage of this tiny club towards the bar and began climbing on it to play to this crowd of SXSW attendees and fans. That moment, plus many more has been printed on the sleeve of the release for all to see. Moments like the one Beau Colburn had makes Bastille and every person involved in the project legends in their own right and a testament of the saying “it takes a village” to a whole new meaning.
Hearing bedroom demos for the first time after hearing the “finished” version makes me appreciate them even more. The Icarus, Laura Palmer (Racing Heart) and Poet demos are so stripped yet composed so well as it highlights Smith’s vocals, the bands musicianship and just the simplicity of demoing and how artful it can be. Finally having the No Scrubs song as a tangible “I can have this on my itunes and in my car” single is so cool. Ella Eyre’s sultry vocals mixed with Smith’s is such a mood, and elevates the TLC song in a fresh way. Plus hearing Smith sing “if you have a shorty but you don’t show love” was something I can get behind. Oh and as a 90’s kid who just loved good music on the radio, hearing them cover (I Just) Died in Your Arms was such a treat…like I can not tell you how much that meant to me to hear that. Plus anything Bastille cover I am a huge fan of…hello their cover of Genie in a Bottle was so good.
Future Past Tour - supporting Duran Duran and Nile Rodgers & Chic
Picking up where they left off this past Spring, they will return back to Philadelphia playing the Wells Fargo Center with Duran Duran and Nile Rodgers & Chic on September 07, 2023. I can not wait to see them play in an arena that I have frequented many times watching the Sixers and Flyers play at over the years. The tour picked back up tonight in San Jose, making their way to Philadelphia on September 7th with a final stop in Toronto on September 19th. You can see the tour flyer down below.
