Biltong, rugby & a braai! Bastille's Dan Smith loves Mzansi

Award-winning UK band Bastille performed for thousands of local fans this past weekend, a thrill for lead singer Dan Smith only matched by the chance to have a good old fashioned South African braai.

Bastille performed in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg over the last five days and speaking to TshisaLIVE, Dan couldn't stop gushing over his "second home".

"South Africa holds a special place in my heart. My parents are from here and I have a lot of relatives here so when we got the opportunity to come to SA again, we jumped at the chance. The last time we performed here (in 2014) it was really special. We had the most fun and at the time it was our biggest live show ever," Dan said.

Dan, who once recorded a song about Durban and his parents' time there, said that if he wasn't a musician for a day, and could "live like a South African," he would have a massive braai.

"I would go to my uncle’s house in Durban and have a massive barbeque, I think it's called a braai here, I would have a family get together and watch the rugby. As a brit, I try to stay out of the rugby politics here so I won't say who I will support when the rugby comes on. 

"If I was in Cape Town. I would go on a drive on the wine route or hang out at the beach and climb Mountains Head. Mountains Head looks really fun. Definitely the day would end with another braai. My ideal day would definitely involve a braai...and biltong!" he said with a laugh.

The group have shared the stage with the likes of Matthew Mole, Opposite the Other, Monark and Tresor during their tour, and said they would jump at the opportunity to work with a number of local artists, regardless of the genre.

 "We don't really give a f*ck about genre at all. We never really prescribed to any particular sound. We have always experimented with a number of genres, including hip-hop and dance so we would definitely love to work with South African acts," he said.

Dan revealed that he would be taking some of his favourite items from South Africa with him when he jets out of country.

"I love Cream Soda and biltong, and Peppermint Crisp is f*cken amazing! I also love boerewors so I will try and take a lot of it back with me. Even though you can get some of that stuff in London, my family will think I am a hero if I return with these things and Mrs Balls Chutney," he added.