THE English electronic music duo, Chase and Status became hosts to Manchester Apollo last night (November 22), and our entertainment reporter, Abi White was there to see what the evening had to offer…
Meeting whilst students at university in Manchester back in 2003, the duo, composed of Saul Milton (Chase) and Will Kennard (Status) returned to the city to perform their greatest hits, newest releases and even some unheard tunes being played for the first time.
First up it was Frisco, of Skepta’s grime collective Boy Better Know, to warm up the Manchester audience, which even had audience members in the circle on their feet before the headliners of Chase and Status took to the stage.
When taking to the stage. Chase and Status embraced the atmosphere created by Frisco, opening with a handful of songs heavily influenced by grime. These included bangers like ‘NRG’ which threw the audience in at the deep end, fully immersing them into their set without giving them a chance to warm up.
@chaseandstatus amazing gig at the Apollo Manchester. First ever gig and could not of been better. Thanks for a great night!!
— ash (@ashtechguyben) November 22, 2016
From the onset, Chase and Status had the audience in the palm of their hands. ‘Flashing Lights’, taken from the duo’s 2011 album, ‘No More Idols’ reminded the crowd of the earlier Chase and Status days, which was re-iterated by the group: “We wanna big up all the original Chase and Status crew!”
Encouraged to put lights in the air during ‘Flashing Lights’, it wasn’t long before the crowd were treated to the presence of a topless Tempa T, British Grime MC from London.
Despite the venue having a seated circle, there wasn’t one member of the audience not on their feet. It’s impossible to stay still when watching this spectacle live.
‘End Credits’ also took its place early on in the set list, before the crowd were once again treated to a special guest. Manchester’s very own grime artist, Bugzy Malone took to the stage, but the crowd took this as an opportunity to get their breath and energy back.
However, the significant use of strobes and pyrotechnics soon restored the vibe in the Apollo teamed with the track, ‘International’ taken from the 2013 album, ‘Brand New Machine’.
The reggae vibes brought by the song built the atmosphere back up in the room, before the heavier track, ‘No
Problem’, notorious for the strange accompanying music video, intensely radiated through the room alongside more pyrotechnics.
The audience were then once again transported into the past to eight years ago, as Chase and Status proceeded to perform the track ‘Pieces’, which was accompanied by lyrics projected onto the backdrop of the stage.
The repetitive nature of ‘Pieces’ had the audience aggressively chanting the lyrics whilst fully immersing themselves into the drum and bass track.
This performance truly was a celebration of Chase and Status’ ability to constantly churn out timeless drum and bass classics. Despite some of the songs on the set list being released in the 2000’s, they still received the same reaction as the recently released tracks from the duo.
The recently released track, ‘All Goes Wrong’, saw the appearance of singer Tom Grennan and once again undoubtedly had the audience jumping and dancing to the upbeat track.
This section of the set list also saw the performance of more new Chase and Status tracks, including the unlikely pairing of the duo with punk rock band, Slaves, which resulted in the track ‘Order’, which went down a storm.
@chaseandstatus we're naughtyyyyy tonight! ? @ O2 Apollo Manchester https://t.co/pZZ6tJ5zpr
— em (@harwoood) November 23, 2016
The temperature in the Apollo was now at an uncomfortable heat, but the audience pushed on through the sweat and continued to dance to each song with as much energy as the last.
By this point in the set, sudden realisation came to some audience members of how many brilliant hits Chase and Status have had. Reaching the end of their set before their encore, the duo proceeded to play their well renowned tracks, ‘Count on Me,’ Lost and Found, ending on ‘Alive’.
The atmosphere was truly exhilarating, and audience members still managed to cling on to every last bit of energy they could muster to continue through the set.
Returning for a well-deserved encore, audience members were left with the star-studded track, ‘Blind Faith’ sandwiched between two lesser-known tracks.
As confetti showered the audience during ‘Blind Faith’, grinning faces partied to the drum and bass duo without a care in the world.
Chase and Status managed to deliver a faultless performance and made for a pleasurable evening spent by all
By Abi White
@abigailwhiteUOS
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