A telling lyric in Bastille's celebrated debut album Bad Blood arrives in the middle track Weight of Living, Pt. II.
Over percolating synths and clattered beats, singer Dan Smith croons, “Do you like the person you've become?”
As well as echoing the album’s ruminative themes, it is a salient question today with the UK band celebrating the 10th anniversary of the album with a tour that brings them to Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena on Wednesday.
Speaking to The National, Smith, 37, considers the question he posed himself all those years ago when penning the song in his bedroom.
“I was in my early 20s back then and it is a time in your life where you are trying to figure out things and what you are going to do in a world that felt uncertain,” he says.
“At that time we thought Bastille would be some weird, cinematic, tiny indie band and never imagined travelling the world and playing the kind of venues we are able to play.
“While that itself has been amazing, I am glad that I am still really obsessed with making music and that's what continues to drive me.”
Indeed, Bastille have been relatively prolific since bursting on to the mainstream with hits Pompeii and Flaws, having released four albums and three mixtapes.
The latest song has them looking back to the beginning, with a new remix of Pompeii by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer.
More orchestral than the original, Zimmer adds his touch in an extended version with evocative synths and strings, as well as transforming the song’s key chants into an almost a cappella section.
It sounds like something out of Zimmer’s Lion King or Gladiator soundtracks, which, Smith notes, is partly the point of the exercise.
“It does feel like we have come full circle in a way,” he adds.
“So many of the songs we have, particularly on Bad Blood, have strings or loads of choir parts which I sang.
“So to get to a point where we can do this version with a real choir and orchestra and with someone like Zimmer – who is responsible for so many huge cultural moments for me – is exciting and a privilege.”
It also bears the fruit of the band’s decision to stay the course.
While Bad Blood found almost immediate success upon its release, it came on the back of three years of touring the UK in small venues and releasing their debut 2011 EP Laura Palmer on YouTube and MySpace.
“We always listed outside of what the media landscape hyped as cool,” Smith says.
“So when we had that success it felt really genuine, because of the fact we had toured as a band, slept on floors and driven ourselves around the country playing tiny clubs, all while putting our music online and blogs.
“People came to our music just by discovering it. And because there wasn't that kind of hype around us, when we had that commercial success it put some people's noses out of joint because they thought we had come from nowhere.
“They chose to see us as some kind of manufactured thing.
“Instead it was always a groundswell of support that slowly grew.”
Good timing also played a part in Bastille’s success.
Smith says the band arrived at a period before music streaming platforms arrived to saturate the market.
“And it's getting even more tricky now, particularly for bands from Europe to tour the UK in the post-Brexit world,” he says.
“I feel that we were fortunate to emerge at a time which, looking back, felt more simple.”
Bastille performs on Wednesday at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets start from Dh199 and are available at coca-cola-arena.com
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Manchester City (0) v Liverpool (3)
Uefa Champions League, quarter-final, second leg
Where: Etihad Stadium
When: Tuesday, 10.45pm
Live on beIN Sports HD
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Fixtures:
Thursday:
Hatta v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
Al Wasl v Dibba, 7.45pm
Friday:
Al Dhafra v Al Nasr, 5.05pm
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai v Al Wahda, 7.45pm
Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm
The specs: 2018 Kia Picanto
Price: From Dh39,500
Engine: 1.2L inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Four-speed auto
Power: 86hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 122Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0L / 100km
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
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“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
