Photos: Bastille at the Novo

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Bastille at the Novo (Photo by Jessica Hanley)
Bastille at the Novo (Photo by Jessica Hanley)

Between their Saturday dates at Coachella, British quintet Bastille brought their film-inspired, thematically heavy synth-rock to the Novo on Wednesday night to the delight of fans more mesmerized by their looks than their messages. The band’s “Wild World” tour, named for their second album (released last year), mixed electronica and indie-rock amid an array of video messages and audio clips.

Frontman and Bastille founder Dan Smith, a fan of cinema and devotee of David Lynch, synched the set to clips from films such as “Twin Peaks” and “The Breakfast Club.” Smith confessed to being a “terrible dancer” and asked the crowd to “get down with me and make me feel a little less stupid for a minute.” They obliged as Bastille played “Of The Night” (a mashup of “The Rhythm Of the Night” and “Rhythm Is a Dancer”). During “Flaws,” Smith forayed into the crowd before taking things down with “Oblivion,” which he introduced as “true to form, incredibly depressing.” Overall, the set mixed songs from their debut “All This Bad Blood” (including “Bad Blood,” “Things We Lost In the Fire, “These Streets,” and “Icarus”) with songs from the new album, including the single “Good Grief,” “Send Them Off!,” “The Currents” and the Nietzscheinspired “Blame.”  They ended with the 2013 single “Pompeii,” with members of opening band Frenship and past tourmates Grizfolk joining them onstage.

L.A.’s Frenship opened the night, playing 30 minutes of synth-pop and showing off some choreographed dance moves.

Photos by Jessica Hanley