Bastille's Dan Smith on why he “probably doesn’t have famous friends”

Virgin Radio

4 Mar 2022, 12:57

You'd think being in one of the biggest bands in the world would mean Dan Smith is hanging out with other famous types all the time.

Not so, says the Bastille frontman.

Dan joked at the NME awards that he feels like “a competition winner” during ceremonies.

He laughed: “I’m just staring at everyone, which is probably why I don’t have any famous friends.”

Dan joined Natalie Imbruglia onstage at London’s O2 Brixton Academy to present this year’s Best Song In The World trophy to Lorde.

He praised Sam Fender, saying him opening the ceremony was a “pretty banging way to start.”

Lorde wasn't present to accept her award, and Smith didn't blame her: "[She] was in a pool, of course,” he quipped. “She’s like, stay in New Zealand in a pool or rainy South London?”

He praised Lorde's track as well as one by another hit new artist: "[Olivia Rodrigo’s] ‘Good 4 U’ is such a massive tune,” he said.

“The opening track off [‘Solar Power’, ‘The Path’] is really beautiful too and really grows and develops.”

“It’s brilliant how it starts as one thing and by the end there’s hook after hook. It’s kind of ‘Pure Shores’ [by All Saints] era or actually, Natalie Imbruglia era. Which is why I’m sure she presented that award.”

He explained what fans can expect from their upcoming tour: “We are just expanding on the world of ‘Give Me The Future’ and using the ideas of futurescape and the innerverse and all these weird mad ideas we’ve been hammering on about for the last six months."

Dan recently talked about co-directing a music video, which has always been a dream of his.