Dave Bayley performs Glass Animals' 'Heat Waves' solo in an empty concert hall, fans call it 'beautifully sad'
Dave Bayley, frontman of psychedelic pop group Glass Animals, unveiled a live rendition of 'Heat Waves', their latest single from their upcoming album 'Dreamland'. The new stripped-back version of 'Heat Waves' features Bayley performing entirely solo.
"Heat Waves, just me and a guitar, live in an empty concert hall. wanted to share this with you all and include a donate link for the crew nation fund which helps workers in the live industry who are currently completely out of work and don’t know when it will be returning," Bayley wrote in the video's caption on YouTube. "Hackney Earth is where we shot the heat waves music video…after filming the main video, I sat down and did this. its one of my favourite local independent venues here in London…one of many live music institutions at risk of closure. miss you all and hope to be playing live again soon," he said.
Bayley also encouraged his fans to make donations to Crew Nation's Global Relief Fund for Live Music Crews. You can donate here.
Fans on YouTube flooded the comments section with excited reactions. "His voice sounds HEAVENLY with that mic i'm actually shaking in my boots," said a fan while another wrote, "I didn't think this song could get better but it just did." One fan said, "Wow! I didn't realize just how beautifully sad this song actually is until hearing it played this way and in front of an empty theater."
Fans were amazed at how good the live rendition was compared to the original. One fan said, "The live is just as good as the original but i expected nothing less from you guys 👏👏." Another wrote, "I'm in loveeeeeee. I like this more than the original." Another comment included, "Would love them to release an alt album with all the songs done like this."
‘Heat Waves’ is the fourth single the band has shared so far from ‘Dreamland’, following the LP's title track, ‘Your Love (Déjà Vu)’ and ‘Tokyo Drifting’, their collaboration with rapper Denzel Curry.
‘Dreamland’ will follow Glass Animals’ 2016 record ‘How to Be a Human Being’. It also marks the first album from the band since drummer Joe Seaward was severely injured in 2018 after being hit by a truck while riding his bike in Dublin. According to NME, Seaward spoke about his first day back in the studio after the rehabilitation period, saying, “It was incredible to be part of the team again. There is no feeling in the world like writing and recording a song and feeling proud of it."
'Dreamland' was originally scheduled for a release on July 10, but the band postponed its release date to August 7 out of solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement.