Vital Bastille Killing

My recent report on the David Greig festival has spurred Tennent's forward: they have announced their headline acts for their Vital festival. Responding to the week long jamboree of Greig discussions and performances, they have lined up The Killers and Bastille for the Boucher Road Playing Fields show.

Of course, I have no idea who Bastille are ('the biggest breakthrough act of the past year, Bastille, who burst onto the scene when their anthemic single Pompeii charted at number two. It went on to become the second most streamed track of 2013, just behind Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. Their album, Bad Blood, entered the charts at number one and quickly achieved platinum status before going on to become the biggest selling debut album of the year (with over 2m copies sold worldwide to date), the most downloaded and the second most-streamed album of 2013. They began 2014 on a high, picking up a well-deserved BRIT Award for British Breakthrough Act and their return to Northern Ireland is hotly anticipated').
I know The Killers, though. I lost interest when they asked 'are we human?' That grammatical and philosophical nightmare revealed Brandon Flowers to be less than a pop genius, especially when he tried to blame Hunter S Thompson. I liked all the odd fashion, and I always had a soft spot for religious people in art (He's a Mormon), but the lyrical opposition of independent thought and choreographed movement was under-developed.

'One of the biggest bands in the world, The Killers have sold over 20 million albums, headlined festivals across the globe, performed at the White House and amassed countless prestigious accolades including BRIT, NME and MTV Awards. Each of their four studio albums has topped the UK charts (the band ranks in the Top 3 of Amazon’s biggest selling artists of the past decade). Their epic, synth-driven rock ‘n’ roll and incredible energy make them one of the greatest live acts on the planet, and their highly anticipated return to Tennent’s Vital (they last played in 2007) is sure to be the hottest ticket of the summer.'

Funnily enough, this mirrors my enthusiasm for another band who did The Vital: The Kings of Leon. After three exciting albums, they wrote a song called Sex on Fire. Once again, I know what you are getting at, but it is just clumsy. Hot sex sounds like fun. Sex on fire sounds like a kink gone wrong.

Sarah Shimmons, Beer Marketing Manager for Tennent’s NI, said: “We're very excited to announce the first two artists for Tennent’s Vital 2014 today. The Killers are undoubtedly one of the biggest bands in the world with a global reputation for their amazing live shows. They'll be joined on the bill by Bastille, who have enjoyed massive breakthrough success in the past year and are one of the most exciting new acts around right now.



“Tennent’s Vital brings top international and homegrown talent to the heart of Belfast and since its return in 2011, it has well and truly cemented its place as a highlight of Northern Ireland’s music calendar. We’re delighted that our partners at MCD have once again secured some incredible acts for the Tennent’s Vital bill – it’s already shaping up to be a brilliant event and we can't wait to see you there!”


Tennent’s Vital 2013 saw a top line-up including Kings of Leon, Snow Patrol, Avicii, The Vaccines and Tinie Tempah play to tens of thousands of music fans at Boucher Road Playing Fields, and this year’s event will once again bring some of the best musical talent on the planet to Belfast for an unforgettable festival experience.


Fans can get their hands on tickets for Thursday 21st August, headlined by The Killers and featuring very special guests Bastille, when they go on sale on Monday 31st March at 9am from .