Tickets are still available to see Bastille & The Wombats
A night of 2010s electropop promises to reign over crowds this week, as Bastille and The Wombats top the bill at a major South London festival. Bastille and The Wombats will co-headline at the Crystal Palace Bowl on Thursday, August 13, bringing the ubiquitous sounds of 21st century Britpop and alt rock to legions of fans.
Bastille’s “Pompeii” is one of the most played radio anthems of the 2010s alongside their other hits “Things We Lost In The Fire” and “Of The Night”, while Scouse rockers The Wombats’ 2007 song “Let’s Dance To Joy Division” remains their signature tune.
The two bands will be supported by female pop duo Prima Queen and up-and-coming indie rock band Cherryholt, with a DJ set from Propaganda. Doors open at 5pm and general admission tickets are still available. Here, we dive into just what fans can expect.
Who are Bastille?
Bastille formed in London in 2010, made up of singer Dan Smith, keyboardist Kyle Simmons, bassist and guitarist Will Farquarson and drummer Chris “Woody” Wood. The band’s first 7″ single with the tracks “Icarus” and “Flaws” was released with just 300 copies but it attracted the attention of presenter Alex Baker of Kerrang! Radio, who helped the fledgling band build up an audience.
Bastille soon began a regular touring circuit, performing as opening acts at major music festivals such as Glastonbury, Reading and Isle of Wight festivals. Their first studio album, “Bad Blood” in 2013, yielded several modestly successful singles “Overjoyed”, “Bad Blood” and “Flaws”. But it was their fourth single, the catchy, infectious electropop anthem “Pompeii” which exploded in popularity – reaching number two on the UK singles charts and helping the album climb to number one.
The band rose in stature, headlining several festivals and performing as an opening act for Emeli Sande. A second album, “Wild World” followed in 2016 and also made it to number one, with the singles “Good Grief”, “Send Them Off!”, “Blame” and “Glory”. A fourth album, “Give Me The Future” in 2022, earned a new wave of fans with the hits “Shut Off The Lights”, “Distorted Light Beam”, “No Bad Days”, and the title track “Give Me The Future”.
Bastille setlist
According to setlist.fm, Bastille’s average set list for 2026 so far is:
- Things We Lost in the Fire
- Shut Off the Lights
- Good Grief
- Flaws
- Oblivion
- Blame
- WHAT YOU GONNA DO???
- Doom Days
- Adagio for Strings / Bite Down / No Angels / Requiem for Blue Jeans / Don’t Let Go (Love) / bad_news / Weapon / Dreams / What Would You Do?
- Of the Night
- In the Light of the Morning
- Happier (Marshmello & Bastille song)
- SAVE MY SOUL
- Pompeii
- Two Evils
- Glory
Who are The Wombats?
The Wombats (Dan Haggis, Matthew Murphy, and Tord Øverland Knudsen) teamed up in 2003, while students at Liverpool Performing Arts School. The band released a number of EPs and paid more than their share of dues playing small gigs, before the release of the first record “Girls, Boys and Marsupials” exclusively in Japan.
The band achieved mainstream fame through their 2007 sophomore album “A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation”, which included indie-pop hits like “Let’s Dance to Joy Division”, “Kill The Director” and “Moving to New York”. Their catchy guitar hooks, witty lyrics, and high-energy live shows turned them into a staple of mid-2000s alternative rock
Further albums followed but the band achieved an extraordinary feat in 2022, nearly 20 years after forming, when their fifth album “Fix Yourself, Not The World” became their first to reach number one on the UK albums chart, with hit singles “Method to the Madness” and “If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming with You” as well as the fan favourites “Worry”, “People Don’t Change People, Time Does” and “Wildfire”.
The Wombats setlist
According to setlist.fm, The Wombats’ set list for their 2026 festival concerts is as follows:
- Moving to New York
- Techno Fan
- Cheetah Tongue
- Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come
- Ready for the High
- Can’t Say No
- Kill the Director
- Pink Lemonade
- Holy Sugar
- Method to the Madness
- Lethal Combination
- Blood On the Hospital Floor
- Lemon to a Knife Fight
- If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming With You
- Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)
- Turn
- Greek Tragedy
- Let’s Dance to Joy Division
Support acts
Opening act Cherry Holt is an alt-pop band consisting of five pals from Stamford, Lincolnshire, whose jangling guitars and unaffected vocals nostalgically hark back to bands from the 2000s like The Kooks or Razorlight, with feel-good anthems “Rose”, “Irresistable” and “Flies” drawing followers on social media. Elsewhere, DJ Propaganda will man the decks between acts.
After Cherry Holt, special guests Prima Queen will take to the stage. Prima Queen is an all-female indie rock rock band fronted by songwriting duo and best friends Louise Macphail, based in Bristol, and Kristin McFadden from Chicago, USA. The band is known for their joyful, upbeat electropop with rolling harmonies on tracks like “Crumb”, “The prize” and “Chew My Cheeks”.
Last-minute tickets
General admission tickets are available from £63.35, however even cheaper tickets are available for entry before 7pm, showcasing some of the support acts playing on the day. Elsewhere, tickets for local residents are on sale for £52.15 and VIP admissions from £113.75.
Palace Bowl Presents is the brand new festival taking place at one of London’s most famous open-air venues, the historic Crystal Palace Bowl, over 11 nights from Friday, July 31, until Sunday, August 16.
The festival may be new but the Crystal Palace Bowl has hosted music legends ever since it opened in 1961 from the likes of Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys, Lou Reed, Curtis Mayfield, Gil Scot Heron, Ian Dury, Vera Lynn and Bob Marley’s final London show.
Bastille and The Wombats play at Crystal Palace Bowl on Thursday, August 13.
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