By Mike O'Connor

It seemed almost overnight that a heap of buzz began growing around LondonerDan Smith and his band Bastille when they first began releasing music together in 2011.

As the buzz has grown, so have their venues - from the odd supporting gig when they first formed, then the hallowed stages of Glastonbury in 2011 and Reading Festival in 2012, before finally their own headline European tour this year - it's safe to say the last 2 years have been good to the band.
Pompeii, the latest single to be released off their upcoming and debut album Bad Blood, starts with orchestral chanting that sounds like it's straight out of a 15th century French monastery. I can see you already raising your eyebrows thinking this doesn't sound all that promising, but it works in the context and is evidence of how widely the band have been searching to find a unique sound.

It's easy to imagine this single becoming a live favourite, as the song builds with an epic soaring electronic beat backing Smith's vocals; perfect for a crowd sing-a-long. And what's the song about then? Perhaps it's about how if you don't try and make a difference, nothing will change - nothing too revolutionary here then. But when it sounds this good, does it really matter?

4 / 5