Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Chase & Status head for Birmingham O2
Friday 30th September 2011, 2:37PM BST.
The high-octane, relentless pounding style of Chase & Status has won the duo near-on household name, errr status for want of a better word.
After modest success with their debut back in 2008, Saul ‘Chase’ Milton and Will ‘Status’ Kennard managed to reach a lofty number two in the charts with this year’s album No More Idols.
Not only that, with numerous collaborations with Rihanna, remixes for Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg, and praise from Pharrell Williams, the London duo are arguably the UK’s most in-demand producers right now.
But despite their success – and the full-on, demanding attitude they might convey in their aggressive dub-step take on 90s rave – they remain charmingly modest.
“When we were close to finishing No More Idols, it got quite stressful because we got that second album syndrome where we just doubted everything we did – we weren’t sure if it was good or rubbish,” says Kennard.
“We just trusted the people around us and put it out. It was relief that people genuinely liked the album as it seemed to get really good feedback, but we were definitely not expecting anything. I’d hate to expect a number one album because then you’d only feel disappointed.”
While for the most part Chase & Status seem to have gone from strength to strength, there has also been the usual backlash against anyone achieving mainstream success. From accusations of being “sell-outs” to criticism that they might be a bit too old for this, they have bourne their share of bad press, much in the same way Pendulum has had to.
“Of course there is lots of criticism,” Milton admits.
“We just find it amusing. If people wanna hate on people who get successful, that’s cool. A few mainstream incidents won’t change anything.
“The way I see things, if you’re a fan of an artist, you’re a fan. If you love a genre of music and happen to love an artist, then they release something you don’t like, you don’t stop being a fan. You follow an artist for the journey.”
The lads play Birmingham’s O2 Academy on Thursday, October 6, 2011. Tickets are sold out.
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