On March 9th 2011 Drum and Bass duo Chase and Status kicked off their ‘No More Idols’ UK Tour at Southampton Guildhall and they definitely started as they meant to go on. With bone-shaking bass and an audience up for some big beats, Chase and Status definitely had a confident start to their second UK tour in 12 months.
Playing the tease, Chase and Status left the impatient fans gagging for it before opening with the first track on their No More Idols album ‘No Problem’; they timed it just right though as if they’d left it much longer there could have been a riot. With a mixed crowd, there was a slight tension, an aggression in the air with bottles being thrown back and forth and some pushes and shoves as the gig started, yet this soon died down as everyone became absorbed by the thumping drum and bass. Joined onstage throughout the gig by MC Rage, who kept the audience hyped without any difficulty, the two DJs (Saul and Will) stood in front of five large TV screens which played out the video for each track. Although the likes of Plan B and Sub Focus did not grace the stage, they were joined by Tempa T, Delilah and Liam Bailey who all stepped up to the plate. Liam Bailey had an amazing reception from the crowd and ‘Blind Faith’, their most recent single and the song they played out with, was definitely the track of the night.
Still, the audience were up for it and although everyone was visibly hot and sweaty, every member of the audience skanked passionately and loyally throughout the gig. The Guildhall was awash with flailing limbs and swaying heads as Chase and Status managed to whip the audience into a suitable frenzy. ‘Let You Go’ and ‘End Credits’ were big crowd pleasers. However, a few of the ‘classic’ tracks thrown into the middle of the gig proved to be ‘toilet break’ songs, and although they were not as appreciated musically, ‘In Love’ and ‘Is It Worth It’ were welcomed as an opportunity for sweaty ravers to cool down. All in all, Southampton was definitely up for a bit of DnB and Chase and Status did not disappoint. As an opening gig, the rest of the tour has a lot to live up to.
Chase and Status are taking their ‘No More Idols’ Tour to more venues across the country in October 2011.
9/10
