Bastille

With a post-Britpop sound relying more on keyboards than guitars, British band Bastille came from out of nowhere to become one of England's most successful acts. Fronted by singer/keyboardist Dan Smith and featuring multi-instrumentalists Kyle Simmons and Will Farquarson and drummer Chris "Woody" Wood, Bastille made its recorded debut in 2011 with the single "Flaws," released in a limited edition on a small indie label. It was followed closely by the self-released Laura Palmer EP. While neither of these releases did very much sales-wise, it gave the band a high enough profile to snag a deal with Virgin Records. From there it was a straight shot to fame, as their 2013 debut album, Bad Blood, went all the way to No. One in England, earning double-Platinum status and spawning the monster single "Pompeii." Unusually for a young British band, the album also found plenty of ears in America. They received a nomination for Best New Artist at the 2015 Grammys. Bastille found themselves with another chart-topping album when they released their follow-up LP, Wild World, in 2016.