6th November 2023
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Bastille’s fifth album, titled Ampersand came out on the 25th October 2024. I had Ampersand on repeat from the moment it came out – on the train, walking up the hill to university, wandering around campus. Honestly, I’m listening to it while writing this review. The lyrics and the music combine to tell the story of famous pairs in history. The songs on the album include ‘Emily & Her Penthouse in the Sky’, which is about the poet, Emily Dickinson and ‘Eve & Paradise Lost’, which tells the Biblical story of Adam and Eve from Eve’s perspective.
I developed a connection with each song on the album; each song is a masterpiece. I was ecstatic to secure tickets to their Album Launch Show and have the opportunity to hear a selection of the songs live.
On the 10th of December 2024, I headed over to Jacaranda Records. The queue wrapped around the building; everyone was eager for the show, but also to get out of the cold!
We shuffled inside to defrost and were greeted with our very own copy of Ampersand, emblazoned with the beautiful pink and turquoise symbol. With a stamp printed on one hand and the musical masterpiece in the other, we descended into the basement of Jacaranda Records.
There is something special about owning a physical copy of the album when you can summon any song by the click of a button on your phone. Despite Bastille being my top artist on Spotify for 2024 and not, in fact, owning a CD player, I now treasure my CD as an artefact and decoration on my bookshelf.
It was surreal to experience the songs live after listening to them through my headphones for so long. Dan Smith radiates talent. His songwriting is unmatched, and he has incredible storytelling capabilities that take you on a journey through his music. Dan Smith and four musicians performed the biggest songs from Ampersand, including ‘Intros & Narrators’, ‘Blue Sky & The Painter’ and ‘Seasons & Narcissus’.
The whole set was brilliant, but sadly, Dan Smith did not play my ultimate favourite song from Ampersand, ‘Zheng Yi Sao & Questions for Her’. I think this is one of the most beautiful songs ever written, both musically and lyrically. Despite asking the audience what songs to play, the chants of ‘Zheng Yi Sao & Questions for Her’ were sadly lost among the crowd. I hope that I will get to experience this song live in the future.
I had never attended Jacaranda Records before. It was an intimate venue that was perfect for the style of Ampersand, which is a different style to Bastille’s previous albums.
I am extremely excited to see Bastille later this year on their From All Sides tour, where they will be performing songs from the first 15 years. I cannot wait to hear all of my favourite songs live!
Listen to Ampersand on Spotify.
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All images belong to Lola Hammerton.
