Bastille announce special 'Candelight' show at St George's Hall

To celebrate the release of “&”, new project from Bastille’s Dan Smith out on 25th October, Bastille Presents; “&” live – the ‘Candlelight Original Sessions’, coming to St Georges’s Hall in Liverpool next month.

Held in beautiful and historic spaces across the UK, the unique dates will be an opportunity for fans to hear the new album “&” (Ampersand) played live in a truly enchanting setting. Fans attending the run of shows, which includes St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh and St George’s Hall in Liverpool, will experience a unique show with Smith performing alongside some of the extraordinary musicians he collaborated with on the record, the dates are set to be a truly magical musical experience.

The Candlelight Original Sessions show will come to St George’s Hall in Liverpool on October 13.

“&” (Ampersand) is the new project from Bastille’s Dan Smith. A collection of story songs that explores the worlds of fascinating figures from history, mythology, and pop culture, fed by instinctive new collaborations with friends and family, dazzling arrangements and an infectious spirit of musical freedom.

Released last week, the new single Blue Sky & The Painter is inspired by the Norwegian expressionist painter, Edvard Munch and his relationship with his depression, and the difficult engine that allowed him to create. Uplifting and euphoric, the song is about seeing a crack of light in life after a long period of darkness.

Leonard & Marianne is a mesmerizing love song about longing and loss, inspired by the complex relationship between Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen, it’s one of the first tracks that Smith wrote for the “&” project back in 2020. “&” Part Two follows the recently released “&” Part One which includes the four tracks, Intros and Narrators, Eve & Her Paradise Lost, Seasons & Narcissus and Emily & Her Penthouse In The Sky.

A deeper dive into the characters on the album can be heard on, ‘MUSES: An Ampersand Podcast’ – a new podcast blending music, history and storytelling which began last week. Smith and academic/podcaster Emma Nagouse (BBC Radio 4’s You’re Dead to Me and BBC Sounds’ Homeschool History) collaborate to uncover the lives of the poets, artists, anthropologists and trailblazers featured on the record and break down Dan’s journey of transforming their lives into songs for “&”. In the first episode, Dan and Emma look at the life of Eve, who inspired Dan’s song Eve & Paradise Lost.

The run of Candlelight Original Sessions follows the announcement of the “&” live tour, which takes place in November with special one-off shows across seven global cities including Paris, Belgium, Amsterdam, Berlin, Los Angeles, New York and London.