Cardiff Castle’s walls didn’t come tumbling down with Bastille’s arrival
Words & Photos: Chloe Michelle Photo
★★★★☆
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Since playing Cardiff’s Utilita Arena back in November, Bastille return to Cardiff Castle for their summer tour. Bringing along Sofia Camara and Arthur Hill, the four-piece treat the crowd to an 18-song setlist, with a medley of dance anthems mid-set.
Photo: Chloe Michelle Photo / Bastille
Starting the evening, whilst the sun was still high in the sky, Sofia Camara brought some die-hard fans to the front row. Forgive me girls at the front, I had not heard of Sofia Camara before this evening. I was surprised, however, to hear her sing ‘That’s So True’, which I can only assume I’ve heard on the radio or TikTok. Camara definitely made it feel worth standing in the sweltering 30C+ heat with her songbird voice and acoustic mellow tones.
Arthur Hill was again, not someone I knew music from, but I have definitely heard his name. He immediately won me over with his choice of outfit; a bodybuilding Tom Jones T-Shirt. Another front row full of die-hard fans for this artist. He definitely had comedic value and charismatic flair, so I understand why some girls were heartstruck in the front row when he pointed them out. He played a song called ‘Right Now’ which I’m sure has a sampled sound, but I can’t put my finger on it. Please help a girl out.
Teasing the audience with a backstage camera before entering, it was time for the main event of the evening. The four-piece, fronted by vocalist Dan Smith, alongside Kyle Simmons on keys, bass and guitarist Will Farquarson and drummer Chris ‘Woody’ Wood, had previously played Cardiff Castle in 2023 and enjoyed a warm welcome to the historic venue under sunny skies. I also attended Depot in the Castle back in 2023, so I have seen them a few times to compare performances.
I really enjoyed their set this year, it was full of bangers, old classics and a medley of Other Peoples Heartache. It still makes me laugh that they stop their set to essentially bring out a DJ box where they just play dance anthems like ‘No Scrubs’, ‘What Would You Do’ and ‘Requiem For Blue Jeans’ - but it’s such a great way to break up their albums and setlist into a two-part show.
They played a great variety of songs across all of their albums, including, ‘Things We Lost in the Fire’, ‘Fake It' and ‘Oblivion’. There was a time where Dan would enter the crowd and jump around with the crowd during ‘Flaws’ but he’s changed it up to throw us off, and now jumps in during ‘Happier’. I know it’s really difficult to cater for every single fan, but since speaking to other fans in the crowd, we would’ve loved to have heard a few more from their ‘Bad Blood’ album. Come on Dan; give us ‘Icarus’, ‘Laura Palmer’ and ‘These Streets’.
Bastille’s performance was perfect as always; I think the only let down with the Castle show was the audience. They didn’t seem as involved as they were during their November show at the arena. I’ll put it down to being outside all evening during the Welsh heatwave!
Photo: Chloe Michelle Photo / Bastille
TK Maxx presents Depot Live at Cardiff Castle 2026 – which sees a record 24 headline shows from some of music’s biggest and best-known stars – continues tonight with a headline set from David Gray.