Chase & Status, the drum'n'bass duo, have revealed the lengths they went to for a recent live show, including hiring a helicopter to pick up Stormzy from a wedding. Will Kennard (Status) recalled the 2024 Milton Keynes takeover where the grime star, serving as best man, was flown in to perform to 100,000 fans. "It ruined someone else's wedding, basically," Kennard said. "A chopper landed on the lawn, he jumped in it in his tuxedo, flew to Milton Keynes, landed next to the stage, runs on the stage, and he was just standing there at the front of this catwalk to 100,000 people. It was one of the greatest reactions I've ever seen from any live show we've ever done."
Chart resurgence and live spectacles
During the helicopter ride, Stormzy learned that 'Backbone', a track he had rapped on and largely forgotten, had become Chase & Status's first-ever UK No. 1. He left immediately after the show, with Saul Milton (Chase) noting, "He went back... Had the meal, the sing-song, maybe speeches. But we really wanted that to happen. Before he even agreed to it, we were like 'the chopper's sorted'."
The success of 'Backbone' capped a strong chart period for the duo. Their 2022 album 'What Came Before' reached the Top Five and produced hits including 'Disconnect' with Becky Hill, 'Baddadan', 'Liquor & Cigarettes', and 'Selecta' with Stefflon Don. Their popularity culminated in headline slots at Reading & Leeds 2026, with a stage packed with guest stars from dance, rap, and pop. Kennard highlighted the collaborative atmosphere: "It's this mish-mash of scenes and genres and artists who would never normally work together, all on the same stage."
Nonconformist roots and new album
Formed in Manchester in the mid-2000s, Chase & Status have always aimed to blend different styles of drum'n'bass and jungle. Milton explained, "From day one, we didn't just want to make one style of drum'n'bass... we like it all, and so we tried to dip our foot in all of it." Their 2017 album 'Tribe' featured Craig David, Emeli Sandé, Tom Grennan, Kano, Bugzy Malone, Blossoms, and Soft Play, reflecting their wide-ranging tastes.
The duo's new album, 'Generic Everything', continues this approach, mixing rock, rap, dance, future-pop, ragga, folk, and even Skrillex-assisted robo-Latino sounds, with guest spots from J Hus, Little Simz, and Giggs. The title reflects their stance against AI-generated music. Milton pointed to the opening track 'Disgruntled' as an example: "On paper, does this weird Britpop indie rock-sounding beat with J Hus on a verse make sense? No, it sounds ridiculous on paper... But actually it sounds really great. That tune itself is the ultimate example of nonconformism."
AI and the future
Kennard admitted to feeling "bamboozled" by the pace of AI advancement in music, describing it as "a messy moment in a transformative, transitional time." Milton argued that artists worried about AI should "make better music" and "have better ideas," adding, "If the AI slop sounds like your stuff, then it's time to maybe reassess." Kennard sees 'Generic Everything' as a reminder to avoid laziness: "It's so hard to do anything original these days... Everything starts to feel generic in a way, even for us when we're making music."
Looking ahead, Kennard believes human creativity will become more valued, but warns of a period of generic output. "It's going to take a while for people to start realising how to use these things in a non-generic way," he said. "[But] we've got faith in humans."
Their experience producing for Rihanna's 'Rated R' album in 2009, alongside Jay-Z, Pharrell, Beyoncé, and Drake, taught them to think bigger. Kennard recalled, "There's no idea that's too far-fetched. It pushed us hard to think bigger." Now, they continue to innovate with immersive 'Section 63' events and new collaborations. Kennard summed up their ethos: "The obsession with finding the new... Making music that sounds like 2040."
'Generic Everything' is out on October 9. Their world tour starts next February and comes to the O2 on April 2.
