Photo: WENN.com

2013 saw Bastille enjoy a stratospheric rise to stardom. Not only did they release two singles that narrowly missed the No.1 spot in the UK ('Pompeii' and 'Of The Night'), but their subsequent debut album Bad Blood hit No.1 instantly before taking the London band on to Platinum plated glory. This was just the beginning though. Bastille have also begun, slowly but surely, to do what few but The Beatles and One Direction have done before - crack America.

They've entered the US top 40 with both their single 'Pompeii' and their album Bad Blood, and have performed to audiences of millions on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Jimmy Kimmel. Lead singer Dan Smith's feet though, remain firmly on the ground.

"In America, not that we've even remotely done much there, but it's gone a lot better than we were expecting." says Smith speaking to Gigwise. "We're playing the Letterman Show in January!" he adds, laughing. "It's nuts!"

Watch Bastille perform 'Pompeii' on The Ellen Show below

"I'm a bit rubbish talking about it because I'm a bit of a realist..." he pauses. "And a bit of a pessimist as well. I'm never expecting much to happen, and when it does it's a really nice surprise."

It must have been a very nice surprise indeed then when their debut album 'Bad Blood' went Platinum in the UK, selling over 300,000 copies. Despite their eventual success though, the band didn't receive a huge amount of attention from critics as the various Sounds of 2013 lists emerged.

"We've never been particularly hyped and I think that made making an album really nice, because there was never anyone breathing down our necks." Smith points out. "We just got on with things ourselves. Everything good we've done has surprised people rather than having to have lived up to something."

How do they feel then, going into 2014, about the hype surrounding the band's second album?

"The only thing we care about is making an album that we're proud of. We're lucky enough to have this amazing fanbase of people all over the world and hopefully it'll be something they like."

Despite this huge fanbase, Smith insists "I don't really feel much pressure", before hastily adding "Not even vaguely in a cocky or arrogant way. We've always just made the songs that we made for ourselves, because we enjoy it. Just what comes out of our brain when we go into the studio. As weird as it sounds, I don't particularly like doing things that attract attention."

Which is probably why Smith is so keen to discuss other bands that he thinks are going to take off this year. "A few months ago we were touring and wondering who was going to be tipped for next year, and most of our predictions are there, thankfully. People like Banks and Sampha and Sam Smith.

"There's all these people around at the moment with these amazing voices... Yeah I think next year's going to be amazing for new music. I just can't wait to hear all their albums basically. As a fan."

Their obvious passion for other people's music, not just their own, is probably what led the band to release so many covers and mash-ups - The XX's 'Angels', TLC's 'No Scrubs' and Fleetwood Mac's 'Dreams' to name but a few - on their free mixtapes.

"Doing the mixtapes for us was just an excuse while we were doing our album to record more and more and fuck around with the production. Most of the stuff in there is nodding towards things that we remember affectionately, and we wanted to use films that we love" - one track, 'No Angels', begins with a sample of Psycho's Norman Bates, "but we also wanted to have a bit of fun with it and take the piss. Hence why I'm singing songs I'd never imagined we'd do."

Listen to Bastille's mash-up 'No Angels' from their second mixtape below

Given that the mixtapes were free downloads, and the album was released more traditionally, how does Smith feel about the different ways music is being heard nowadays?

"I think Pompeii was, like, the most listened to song on Spotify this year or something weird." Nearly right - the song was a close second behind Daft Punk's unavoidable 'Get Lucky.' "I love Spotify. The places I'll go to listen to music will be YouTube or Spotify, and I think it's probably the same for most people.

"I guess the industry is still in a form where albums are the thing people look to, as much as people release EPs. We put out mixtapes, and will continue to do so as long as we're recording...

"It'll be interesting to see how the format of releasing music changes... That wasn't really an answer, I'm just rambling." 

Despite Smith's humble, frequently apologetic tone, Bastille look set to go from strength to strength in 2014. They're touring, releasing a new album, and have just announced that they are to perform on the US's iconic Saturday Night Live. 

Smith's own ambitions for the year are modest though. "I guess we've always wanted to keep making music, and having fun doing it."

That sounds doable.

Bastille will be touring the UK in February and March. Full dates are below and tickets are onsale now. 

Feb 26 - Academy, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Feb 27 - Corn Exchange, Edinburgh,

Feb 28 Manchester Apollo, Manchester

Mar 01 - O2 Apollo, Manchester

Mar 03 - Plymouth Pavilions,Plymouth

Mar 04 - BIC, Bournemouth

Mar 06 - Alexandra Palace, London