Chase & Status Secure First UK Number One After Two Decades

Chase & Status, the London-based duo, have achieved their first UK number one with their latest track “Backbone,” featuring Stormzy.

This milestone comes more than 20 years after they first started releasing music. The track marks a return to drum and bass, a genre currently experiencing a resurgence in the UK music charts.

According to the Official Charts Company, the consumption of dance and drum and bass music has increased by nearly 13% in 2024 compared to the previous year.

Will Kennard, who along with Saul Milton makes up Chase & Status, expressed his excitement to the BBC, saying, “You cannot replicate” the feeling of going clubbing.

Despite the success of “Backbone,” fewer people are attending nightclubs, as reported by the Night Time Industries Association.

However, dance music remains as popular as ever. Kennard reflected on his early experiences, saying: “I grew up going to small clubs, and that’s where we fell in love with the music we make.”

He added that performing at a small club is a completely different experience compared to large concerts with thousands of people.

Kennard also warned of the “dangerous trap” that dance music artists might fall into, where they create music solely to appeal to larger crowds, potentially losing touch with their underground roots.

“Most artists come from an underground world and they gradually climb the ladder,” he said, emphasizing the importance of staying true to their origins.

Chase & Status recently performed their biggest show to date, playing to a sold-out crowd of 45,000 people in Milton Keynes.

When asked about the trend of people opting for big events like theirs over local club nights, Kennard acknowledged that festivals and outdoor shows “might be more appealing.”

The Night Time Industries Association reported that 67 nightclubs closed in the UK in the first part of 2024, with 48 of them being independent venues. This equates to approximately two clubs closing every week.

Charlotte Plank, a fellow drum and bass artist, noted that the nature of nightlife has evolved. “You want to feel more like you’re part of a community,” she told the BBC.

Plank, who appeared on Rudimental’s hit “Dancing Is Healing” earlier this year, said she now prefers specific events or gatherings with people she knows over general clubbing, and that she and her friends often seek out “pop-up or underground” events rather than mainstream club nights.