Welcome everyone to Soda Jerker on songwriting.

Brian here, flanked as always by Simon, and dropping in for episode 280 is an English singer,

musician and songwriter, best known as frontman of indie poppers Bastille, as well as being

their creative mastermind.

Since announcing their arrival in emphatic fashion back in 2013 with the international smash hit single Pompeii.

Bastille have shifted in the region of 11 million records worldwide,

notched up 11 billion Spotify streams,

and collaborated with the likes of Hans Zimmer, Graham Coxon, Youngblood, Rag and Bone Man, Craig David,

Marshmallow, Haim and Lizzo.

In late November 24, under the guise of Bastille Presents, our guest dropped Ampersand,

a fascinating new concept album, which marks quite a stylistic departure from his previous work,

both in terms of its musical approach and its narrative scope.

We sat down with its creator to hear about the inspiration and the writing process behind it.

We're very happy to welcome Bastille's Dan Smith to the show.

Dan was born on the 14th of July, Bastille Day no less, in London in 1986, the son of two

South African lawyers.

His mum had been a folk singer when she was younger and met his dad when she was on the

bill of a concert he was promoting.

Dan was weaned not only on the classic singer-songwriters his parents enjoyed,

such as Crosby Stills, Nash and Young, Elton John and Simon and Garfunkel,

but also the hip-hop and R&B favoured by his older sister,

particularly Jurassic Five and the Fugis.

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