Live: Chase & Status @ Alexandra Palace

Alexandra Palace started filling up with red-lit smoke just seconds before Saul Milton aka Chase, Will Kennard aka Status, MC Rage and drummer Andy Gangadeen appeared on stage. I expected the venue to be busy but wasn’t at all prepared for how rammed it actually was.

Ten thousand people gathered in one of the most iconic venues in London on Saturday 26th of November. They all came to see one of their favourite bands – they all came to see the world famous Chase & Status, the excitement and the party-like anticipation were palpable. MC Rage welcomed the crowd letting them know how great the whole band felt about finally playing live in their hometown.

On to the show, Chase & Status kicked off proceedings with new songs Nervous and NRG, possibly to be seen on their forthcoming fourth studio album due out next year. Frisco appeared for new cut Funny before 2011 dance anthem Flashing lights was aired, the crowd going wild and the rave vibe setting in for the evening.

Hit single Hypest Hype had British Grime MC Tempa T join the dance troupe on stage, reprising his role from the record. No More Idols classic Let You Go continued the hit parade before Don’t Stop introduced some newer material back into the mix. My personal highlights from the show were two performances with the guest artists Tom Grennan and Nneka. Bedford singer-songwriter Grennan surprised the crowd by popping up on stage for a rendition of his recent collaboration with the London EDM duo – All Goes Wrong.

During that performance, I quickly realised I was standing right next to Grennan’s father and other members of his family. Witnessing their reactions while Tom was on stage was priceless, a truly beautiful moment. Straight after getting the audience bouncing, Tom joined his family and I had a chance to briefly chat with him, such a humble young artist!

Following new singles Tribes and Control, it was a huge surprise for me when Nigerian artist Nneka appeared on stage, to huge cheers from the North London crowd for a C&S remixed performance of her own song Heartbeat, a treat of collaboration to catch live. The main set was rounded out with Brand New Machine singles Lost & Not Found and Alive, the brilliant lighting and pyrotechnics continuing to add another dimension to the out of this world live experience.

The duo + troupe returned to the hallowed former Palace of the People stage for an outing of new number Know Your Name. No More Idols single Blind Faith featuring Nottingham-based soul singer Liam Bailey was aired before the show was rounded out with No More Idols cut Fool Yourself.

Hosting a massive gig is one thing, putting on a massive semi-rave at one of London’s most iconic landmark venues is something else and Chase & Status pulled it off with flying colours. It was top notch event planning, from the performances and the security staff ensuring everyone felt safe down to the diverse selection of food and drinks out front of the main arena space. Maybe there is one word to describe the whole night for me: unforgettable. The next time Chase & Status play a gig at Ally Pally, I will be there for sure.

Chase & Status play a tiny show at London’s Electric Brixton on 15^th December before heading to Australia for a couple of New Year’s shows in Perth and Queensland.

Live review and photography of Chase & Status @ Alexandra Palace by Ariel Majtas on 26^th November 2016.

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000wLjQbi8AT7Y” g_name=”Chase” f_show_caption=”t” f_show_slidenum=”t” img_title=”iptch” pho_credit=”iptc” f_link=”t” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”t” f_fullscreen=”t” f_smooth=”t” f_up=”t” f_show_watermark=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_mtrx=”t” fsvis=”f” width=”640″ height=”480″ f_constrain=”t” bgcolor=”FFFFFFF” btype=”new” bcolor=”#FFFFFF” crop=”f” twoup=”t” trans=”sweep” tbs=”4000″ f_ap=”t” bgtrans=”f” linkdest=”c” f_topbar=”f” f_bbar=”f” f_bbarbig=”” target=”_self” ]

 

Ariel has more great photography over at his website: http://www.arieldasnapper.com/