MUSIC: Chase & Status - Nottingham Rock City: 11/05/10

Nottingham was one of the last dates on Chase & Status’ Spring tour, though any thoughts that they could now be a bit tired of playing live can be disregarded. This tour was just the start – a warm up for the vast amount of festival dates that they are playing this summer ranging from Rockness to V Festival.

Chase & Status are predominantly a duo, but live the band expands to include a drummer and a frontman. The big screen lit up the stage, with videos and graphics beating with the music. Live, the music is bolder and harder than ever before and the mosh pit created added to the amazing atmosphere the band created. Though comparisons to Pendulum’s live productions are inevitable, Chase and Status’ songs are much more diverse.

Teasing the audience with hints of surprise guests, there was one name that was on everyone’s lips – Plan B. Chase & Status jokingly welcoming him onstage didn’t annoy anyone as ‘End Credits’ and ‘Pieces’ sound impeccable with, or in this case – without, him. Though, C&S did keep to their promise – Tenny Ten joined the stage for a new joint song which set the crowd alight.

With such a tight live show, Chase and Status have to be seen live to be totally appreciated – but once you do see them, you won’t want them to stop playing.

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www.chaseandstatus.co.uk

MUSIC: Does It Offend You Yeah? - Nottingham Rescue Rooms: - 05/04/10

You know when you’re sitting watching a good film, quietly enjoying it and then an actor comes up who you’ve seen before and you end up trying to remember their name for the film? Well the music equivalent has been found, listening to live music and realising that that exact song is in an advert but you can’t for the life of you work out which advert…is that just me?

Hounds are three guys from Essex playing rock tunes with added synths and megaphone, the punk attitude that the band display is a massive part of the live show with lead singer Olly brashly leaning on the speakers lurching forward with his guitar. However, the vocals and the instruments’ sound levels needed a bit more perfection as it sounded as though they were fighting to be louder – this would be a compliment for a band of this type if it was possible to make out the vocals slightly better. They have headline potential in smaller venues, though being placed with the following bands seems to overshadow them.

Next came Fortune, which is where the gameshowesque guessing adverts came in; their latest single ‘Bully’ being featured in an advert for comet. This should, but doesn’t, make it a bad track – a lot of Fortune’s songs are likely to be heard around all the top clubs and dj’s this year. Live, the dancefloor beats and quirky vocals stand up forcing the audience to move their feet, imagine a less moody and more dancey French ‘Big Pink’ and you should be thinking of Fortune. Having two songs cut off due to time limits was unfortunate and the band didn’t seem to take kindly to it, but they’d left the audience enough to really understand why the French are just so damn good within the electro scene.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? started as they were to carry on, with bits of swearing and a lot of strobe within new song ‘The Wrestler’. They follow up their debut album this summer with ‘Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You’ and a lot of the show was showcasing material from it. On record, they sound immaculate but live they sound dark and heavy, making each song old or new sound different and faster – the strobe from earlier never really got a rest throughout their entire set. The audience lapped it up, and as the band got blinded by the lighting, they seemed to love the (albeit rushed) show. By the standards of the gig, their new album is definitely one to look out for in the summer.

The night was ended with the bands’ huge ‘We Are Rockstars’, and if my memory is reliable, this song was in a certain advert for Fast and Furious last year. How suiting.

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www.houndsmusic.com // www.myspace.com/ilovefortune //www.myspace.com/doesitoffendyou