Bastille performs at The Novo in Downtown LA

Annelisa Zamora, Staff writer

Amidst Coachella performances and arena shows, British indie pop band Bastille made a stop at The Novo for a more intimate club performance on April 19.

The band, whose single “Pompeii”  landed the number five spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 2014 and sent the band into international stardom, consists of lead singer Dan smith, keyboardist Kyle Simmons, bassist Will Farquarson and drummer Chris “Woody” Wood. Bastille is now touring their newest album Wild World which contains their hit single, “Good Grief.”

Within seconds of the band being introduced by their fictional “WWCOMMS” (Wild World Communications) newscaster, screams filled the air as the brass riff opening of  “Send Them Off!” began to play.

The band played full force with songs from Wild World and, much to the enjoyment of more seasoned fans, their first album Bad Blood. They spent the night switching between albums with songs like “Warmth” (Wild World) and “Of the Night” (Bad Blood). They also threw in fan favorites like “Flaws” during which Smith hopped off stage and joined the mass of fans giving out high fives.

Considering today’s political climate, my favorite song had to be “The Currents.” It acknowledges that politics and the media can be chaotic and suffocating. Something about singing the words “you’re making me feel nervous, I need to clear my head” at the top of my lungs with a room full of strangers was somehow comforting.

I’ve been to a handful of concerts but I’ve never been to one where everyone seemed to be so completely captivated by the performers. I sang horribly and jumped until I was sweatier than I care to admit, but so did everyone else. It felt like everyone in the room had a mutual agreement that nothing we did could be deemed embarrassing because we were all there to see a great band and dance like maniacs.

They ended the show by welcoming American pop duo, FRENSHIP, and alt rock band, Grizfolk, to the stage to aid in creating the iconic chanting and drum beat of “Pompeii.”

The entire crowd never fell short of enthusiastic. Whether it be reciting every word to every song, holding up cellphone flashlights, or jumping and throwing their hands to the beat, Bastille had their audience mesmerized from the get go.