Bastille brings the metaverse to real-life with live performance using cutting-edge virtual production technologies

07 June 2022 - Press release

IN A GLOBAL FIRST, FANS AROUND THE WORLD INTERACT WITH REAL-LIFE BAND MEMBERS ON STAGE THROUGH VIRTUAL WORLDS DEVELOPED USING UNREAL ENGINE

LAUNCH OCULUS QUEST APP ENABLING FANS TO NOW EXPERIENCE THESE PERFORMANCES WITHIN SAME VIRTUAL WORLDS IN THE “GIVE ME THE FUTURE” EXPERIENCE – OUT NOW HERE

WATCH THE ‘GIVE ME THE FUTURE EXPERIENCE’ HERE 

BASTILLE ARE CURRENTLY ON TOUR IN THE U.S

 

Introducing the next innovative chapter of Bastille’s recent No.1 critically acclaimed album, ‘Give Me The Future’ and accompanying sell-out UK arena tour—music and tech innovation collide for the launch of the pioneering Give Me The Future Experience in partnership with renowned creative company WPP and EMI Records, and built using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. 

In an era where so many artists have played concerts in the metaverse, the multi-platinum-selling British band lead the way in exploring the next level of live music interactivity by bringing the metaverse to a live performance in the real world. Dubbed the ‘Futureverse’ gig, this exploratory show was inspired by the album’s themes around new technologies, and our human relationships both with them and each other.

Instead of putting the concert in the metaverse, where avatar artists play to avatar fans, each physically unaware of one another with very little human connection, cutting-edge virtual production technologies were used to bring the metaverse to a physical live performance. The band played on stage backed by a 45’ LED screen hosting virtual worlds created using Unreal Engine. 

In a world first, fans from anywhere in the world were able to scan themselves into these worlds as stylized avatars and interact with the real-life band members as they performed on stage, re-inventing the metaverse meets live experience whilst elevating the human connection. 

Now fans can experience these performances on the Oculus Quest app here, created using state of the art production techniques to produce the highest possible definition of VR experience. Renowned for the imaginative world-building of their albums, this one of a kind experience enables Bastille’s fans to journey through the futuristic worlds on the record whilst experiencing exclusive live performances, including a very special version of the band’s hopeful single, No Bad Days.

 

Watch this special experience come together in the making of; Give Me The Future Experience here   

Dan Smith, Bastille “As a band, we try to shy away from what’s expected. Our new album Give Me The Future is about our relationship with technology, and we really wanted to do something that pushed the boundaries of what’s currently possible and that looked towards what’s to come in the future. This is the next level of interactivity within music.”

Dinushi Perera, EMI Records - “This is a defining moment for EMI — an opportunity for us to deliver one of many explorations into the ‘Future Of Music Experience’. This passion and commitment to shape the future of music anchors around leveraging emerging & disruptive technologies to explore new ways of bringing artists and music closer to fans than ever before, creating space to make a transformation within the industry.”

Rachel Stones, Unreal Engine Business Development Manager at Epic Games - “WPP created a living, breathing world in which the artists and virtual attendees were able to interact with each other in amazing virtual environments. By embracing Unreal Engine, the team had the flexibility to move and iterate on hero assets in real time, and this will change the way production teams think about the future of live events and build for the metaverse.”

Stephan Pretorius, CTO at WPP – We believe in creativity powered by technology which is why we were so excited to partner with EMI and Epic Games to not just imagine but also realise the future of music experience. The alchemy of partners and expertise allowed us to push technological boundaries to deliver an experience for the band and fans which sets the bar for how we perform and participate in music in the future.

Bastille’s ‘Futureverse’ live concert and accompanying Give Me The Future Experience is trailblazing the next chapter in the future of music interactivity and the live experience. It pushes the boundaries of the music and tech experience and offers a glimpse into revolutionary new ways in which fans can collectively come together from anywhere in the world for a truly unique live music experience.