Bastille debuted in June 2011 with their 7" single, "Flaws"/"Icarus" (released on Young & Lost Club). This was then followed by their EP 'Laura Palmer' later in 2011. After adding a few more tracks online, the band received a lot of attention from indie rock fans on the web, helping secure some support slots. During the summer of 2011, they performed at a number of major UK festivals, including Glastonbury, Isle of Wight, and Blissfields.
On 27 April 2012, "Overjoyed" came out, being the debut Virgin Records single from Bastille. This was confirmed by EMI on 1 May 2012. After the video release of "Overjoyed" on YouTube, 'Q Magazine' introduced the song as its track of the day for 7 March 2012. Fans seemingly devoured the tune.
"Bad Blood" was released on Virgin Records on 20 August 2012. Following the video release of "Bad Blood" on YouTube, Bastille were named "The New Band of the Day" by writers for 'The Guardian' on 25 July 2012. In not too long, Bastille performed at the major UK Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2012. They played an October 2012 headline tour that brought them into the spotlight alongside Emeli Sandé, with Swiss Lips supporting them.
Bastille's single "Flaws"/"Icarus" was featured in the soundtrack of the popular British Channel 4 television show 'Made in Chelsea'. As well, "Weight of Living, Pt. II" was part of the soundtrack for FIFA 13. "Of The Night", Bastille's dual cover of both Snap!'s "Rhythm is a Dancer" and Corona's "The Rhythm of the Night", was used to advertise Dancing on Ice in the run up to its 2013 series.
Bastille played their first show outside of Europe on 3 December 2012 at Hong Kong's Clockenflap Music & Arts Festival.
Bastille's song "Oblivion" featured in the soundtrack of the television show The Vampire Diaries in the Season 4 Episode 9 titled "O Come, All Ye Faithful".
They supported Two Door Cinema Club on their UK tour throughout January/February 2013 and toured through Europe in April to promote their debut album.
The band have also released four mixtape-style EPs : "Other People's Heartache Pt 1" in 2012 (featuring covers, among others, of "Blue Jeans" by Lana del Rey, "The Rhythm of The Night" by Corona) , "Other People's Heartache Pt 2" (featuring covers, including, "Sweet Nothing" by Calvin Harris, "No Scrubs" by TLC and "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac), "VS: Other People's Heartache Pt 3" (featuring collaborations with other artists, including "Remains" with Skunk Anansie and Rag'n'Bone Man, and "bad_news" with MNEK). "Other People's Heartache (Pt. 4)" was released in 2018 (featuring more covers, one of "Wild World" by Yusuf/Cat Stevens, and an original song Grip in collaboration with Seeb, and the latest addition to this series (Pt. 5) was released in 2022 (including the song Run Into Trouble and a cover of "Dancing In The Dark" by Bruce Springsteen).
These Streets
Bastille Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't want them
They pull me back, and I surrender
To the memories I run from
Oh, we have paved these streets
With moments of defeat
We'll walk upon these streets and think of little else
I won't show my face here anymore
I won't show my face here anymore
These streets are yours, you can keep them
In my mind it's like you haunt them
And passing through, I think I see you
In the shapes of other women
Oh we have stained these walls
With our mistakes and flaws
But even if we won't admit it to ourselves
We'll walk upon these streets and think of little else
I won't show my face here anymore
I won't show my face here anymore
All that's left behind
Is a shadow on my mind
All that's left behind
But even if we won't admit it to ourselves
We'll walk upon these streets and think of little else
I won't show my face here anymore
I won't show my face here anymore
I won't show my face here anymore
I won't show my face here anymore
The lyrics to Bastille's "These Streets" seem to be an internal dialogue about the memories that linger in a place where past relationships were cultivated. The singer has surrendered to the memories of the past and wishes to move on. The streets are a metaphor for the past that the singer would rather leave behind, but cannot help but be reminded of when passing through them. The pain is exacerbated by the haunting spectre of the past lover, who seems to linger in every corner of these streets.
The singer acknowledges the many moments of defeat that they have stomped into these streets while they were trying to make sense of the past. They have come to terms, subconsciously at least, with the effect that the past has had on them. They know they will always be reminded of it when walking upon these streets. The singer now takes proactive steps by deciding on not showing their face in this place anymore. They are therefore breaking up with the place and the associated memories.
In conclusion, the song explores themes of grief, loss, and healing. It demonstrates how difficult it can be to move on from the past and leave behind the physical things that remind you of it. The memories associated with a place can affect you to the point where you question your mental state. The song suggests acceptance, letting go, and moving forward as the way forward in dealing with the past.
Line by Line Meaning
These streets are yours, you can keep them
The singer is letting go of the streets, acknowledging that they belong more to someone else than to him
I don't want them
The streets have held nothing but painful memories for the singer, and he wants nothing to do with them anymore
They pull me back, and I surrender
Despite not wanting anything to do with the streets, the singer finds himself drawn back to them by his memories
To the memories I run from
The singer is trying to escape from his painful past, but finds himself unable to do so because of the connections he has to these streets
Oh, we have paved these streets
The singer is acknowledging that he and others have created the environment of the streets over time
With moments of defeat
The environment was created by struggles and hardships that people faced in these streets and couldn't overcome
But even if we won't admit it to ourselves
The painful past is something the singer and others refuse to admit to themselves
We'll walk upon these streets and think of little else
Despite attempts to forget, the streets will always remind the singer and others of what happened there
I won't show my face here anymore
The singer has decided to stay away from the streets and not participate in the painful reminders anymore
In my mind it's like you haunt them
The streets have become associated with painful memories of someone the singer cannot forget
And passing through, I think I see you
The singer thinks that he sees the person who haunts him in the women he sees passing by on the streets
In the shapes of other women
The singer is not seeing the actual person who haunts him, but sees their resemblance in other women
Oh we have stained these walls
The walls of the streets have become associated with painful memories, that have become an inseparable part of them
With our mistakes and flaws
The painful memories are as much owed to the singer's own mistakes and flaws as they are to the environment
All that's left behind
The only thing that has remained now is the pain and memories that the singer wants to leave behind
Is a shadow on my mind
The memories and pain continue to haunt the singer despite his attempts to move on
I won't show my face here anymore
Once again, the singer affirms his decision to stay away from these painful reminders of his past
I won't show my face here anymore
The pain and hurt of the past are too much for the singer to bear, making the decision to leave the streets behind once and for all
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANIEL SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sam
on Fake it
Has anyone translated the news captions in the music video?
Jeannie Smith
on Pompeii
I like it.