Bastille have released a new orchestral version of their hit track “Pompeii,” in collaboration with Hans Zimmer.
The new version was released to mark the 10 year anniversary of their single “Pompeii,” taken from their debut album, Bad Blood. The track reached Number 2 in the UK Charts back in 2013 and is currently included in the Top 50 most streamed songs of all time in the UK.
The orchestral rendition of the track is titled “Pompeii MMXXIII.” Listen below.
Speaking on the collaboration with Hans Zimmer, Bastille frontman Dan Smith said, “Having the opportunity to work with the living legend that is Hans Zimmer, and his brilliant team, has been an absolute dream. Working with them on this new version of ‘Pompeii’ has been incredible and has put the biggest smiles on our faces throughout the whole wonderfully surreal experience.”
Smith had already been working with Hans Zimmer on other projects, with this being how this alternative version of “Pompeii” came to be created.
Hans Zimmer shared his thoughts on the track, saying, “It’s been proven time and time again that a beautiful, crafted song by a great band can have many lives and ‘Pompeii’ is a shining example of this.”
Zimmer continued, “Working hand in hand with Bastille and my team at Bleeding Fingers has been an exhilarating experience and an honour to be part of this remarkable journey. I’m so excited to share this rendition with you all!”
BASTILLE and HANS ZIMMER – POMPEII MMXXIII – OUT NOWhttps://t.co/roMzTG4JGR@HansZimmer pic.twitter.com/dtrmTVBgj5
— BASTILLE (@bastille) September 1, 2023
Bastille are currently touring the US to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Bad Blood. Their UK tour dates ended in July, with a commemorative double album version of Bad Blood also being released in July too.
The special edition reissue includes previously unheard demos, covers and live performances. The reissue is titled Bad Blood X (10th Anniversary Edition) and is available for purchase here.
In a press statement, frontman Dan Smith said, “When I started working on the songs that became ‘Bad Blood’ 10 years ago at a laptop in my bedroom, I never imagined that they’d be heard by so many people and then take us all over the world – it’s really mad to think about.”
He continued, “Ten years on, we wanted to put something special together to celebrate the album, whilst not messing with it too much. We had so much fun digging back through old artwork, photos and videos from that time to make a totally new package of artworks. My Dad even found an old CD-R of some of demos in the attic (that somehow people managed to pry out of my hands for a new 7” vinyl as part of this release – trust me… I didn’t think those versions would ever get heard).”
Speaking on the reissue, Smith concluded, “Putting all this together was such a nice way to step back into that world for a moment, and we really hope our fans feel the same way.”
Stream Bad Blood X (10th Anniversary Edition) here.
