A welcome return to Scarborough’s Open Air Theatre for Bastille on 11th July, with support from Nectar Woode, set anxious football fans at ease and gave long-time fans a true treat. 

Soul artist, Nectar Woode, opened the night; of London and with Ghanaian roots, she started her set saying how incredibly excited she was to be playing Scarborough’s Open Air Theatre and revealing that she also has family ties to Hornsea. She was giddy to be playing on stage somewhere she had many fond memories of as a kid and waved and grinned at her “twenty or so family members” in the audience.

Her set was early in the evening, the set time having been moved up because of the football. England in the Quarter Final, the upcoming match weighing on the minds of many in the crowd. Nectar Woode succeeded in getting some hips swaying and some bopping along, even up in the seating area, especially with the single “Message to London” which had a really funky bassline. A diamond of a soul singer, whose vocal talent matched the depth of her lyrics. She weaved familiar stories of internal battles through her words and got me right in the heart with the song “Ama Said”, written about conversations with her little sister. It made me miss my own siblings dearly.

The track “Good Vibrations” brought some radiance to the evening to transport us all away from grey skies and back in time to a place of friendship, and endless summer joy in good company. The crowd might have been focusing on how many pints they could get in before the football started but this track helped pull them back into the moment and remind us of the pleasure of live music that we were there to experience. Nectar Woode somehow wasn’t on my radar already but the set featured lots of songs from her recently released album “Naturally” which went straight onto my listening library. Her bandmates oozed comfort and confidence, with some angelic vocals from both bassist and keyboardist. The performance, aside from vocals, was ever so quiet but listening to the rest of the album confirms to me that it was a stylistic choice, a brave one to follow through with at big outdoor venue such as the Open Air Theatre and one I would love to hear again in the dynamics of a more intimate venue.

Her set closed with the track “Stick Fight”, a real dancing song. In a summer of heatwaves and football some gut-wrenchingly honest soul, that is gentle enough to stroke your hair and hold you as you sob, was exactly what I needed.

Pints purchased, England flags waving throughout the crowd, it’s the turn of Bastille!

Before their stage entry, I am transported back to the first time I saw them in 2013. This was the same year the album “Bad Blood” was released. It was at T in the Park, my first festival. They were on the line-up alongside huge indie acts of the time like Two Door Cinema Club. The reason for the flashback was because that first time I saw Bastille was lead singer Dan Smith’s Birthday, and this time, it is once again the week of his birthday; they opened with black and white footage of him blowing candles out in a backstage setting. Now it turns out the name Bastille derives from Bastille Day being Dan’s birth date, and having been round well over a decade now, they have no doubt played on or near his birthday many other times too; but for me it felt like such a special moment, and I felt 17 again. One additional bonus was that Dan hadn’t lost his voice, unlike during the 2013 performance!

They open on a powerful piece with, “Things We Lost in the Fire” featuring haunting solo vocal performance from Dan; the England flag clad crowd were brought to an instant silence.

Bastille have been to the OAT before and clearly feel right at home on the stage. They welcomed the “Scarbados” audience. Dan did a shout out to the last time they played, reminiscing about a couple that got engaged during the set. Turns out they were in attendance again and they are still married, phew!

We next get a jazzy version of the massive hit “Flaws”. The set was a satisfying mix of songs from every album. It is so refreshing seeing such a poppy and dance-heavy band play without reliance on backing tracks. There were so many drums on the stage, with a full kit, extra drum pads and the second drummer with a wind chime and bongo-laden percussion kit. This range in instrumental talent as well as Dan’s story-telling song-writing is why they have earned such respect in the industry, and get to collaborate with many big names, such as Hans Zimmer. Hearing the electropop hit “Happier” played with a full band, with so many layers of instruments, gave the self-blame ballad extra room for the heart-breaking lyrics to sink in. We got a real treat in the set, a rendition of the MTV unplugged version of their beautiful song “Fake It” with a cello and the haunting whines of a lap steel guitar.

A massive DJ booth prop was brought out for a mash-up of tracks from their mixtape concept covers album, “Other People’s Heartache”. The audience absolutely lapped it up. With some in the audience attending alongside their kids, it gave everyone something to dance to and connect with across the decades.

The unreleased track “In the Light of the Morning” had some real indie-pop nostalgia with an aggressive punch of insistence that you WILL enjoy yourself. It felt like Bastille might have been bitten by whatever pop bug infected The Kaiser Chiefs for their last album. And why not? The world is in free-fall so why shouldn’t our indie pop idols make it a little more cheerful whilst we all burn.

I think I might have witnessed one of the shortest gaps before an encore in history to the point it was comical. I swear the band must have kept one foot on the stage whilst making their pretend exit. There was barely time for applause, let alone “one more song” chants. A quick verse and chorus of “Three Lions” to embrace the spirit of the evening and then their most well-known song “Pompeii” to close. The concept of writing a song inspired by the victims of the doomed city of Pompeii must have been a wild process to trust in, but I am so glad the song exists. It was kind of everywhere in 2013 to the point I fell out of love with it, but the years haven’t always been kind since then and, oh boy, do the metaphorical lyrics speak to me now. “Does it almost feel like nothing’s changed at all?”

As they played out with a few extra choruses the crowd began their speedy exit to whichever pubs or living room sofas need sitting in to watch the match. Singing and chanting muscles well warmed up, as well as our souls!

Check out what’s still to come at TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre.