The Prodigy and Chase & Status to headline Electric Avenue

Wednesday, 4 September 2024

UK drum ’n’ bass royalty Chase & Status.

Christchurch music festival Electric Avenue has announced two international legends of electronic music as their 2025 headliners: The Prodigy and Chase & Status.

The festival, which recently revealed its growth from a one-day to a two-day event next year, will take place in Hagley Park on Friday, February 21 and Saturday, February 22.

The four-stage festival will also feature a strong underbill of artists from around the globe, with most of the international acts performing exclusive New Zealand shows at Electric Avenue.

Callam Mitchell, Electric Avenue organiser, bringing a splash of colour to the Christchurch CBD.

Organiser Callam Mitchell said: “We’ve been blessed with 20 international artists on our lineup, and 40 Kiwis. It’s a hell of a lot more than we’ve ever had before.”

London-based drum ’n’ bass duo Saul Milton (Chase) and Will Kennard (Status) have been creating music since 2003, and will top the bill on the Friday night.

Their single Backbone, which features UK grime legend Stormzy, entered the New Zealand chart last month at number three and went straight into the UK chart at number one.

The Prodigy burst out of the UK rave scene in the 1990s, instantly developing a formidable reputation as a live act with tracks such as Firestarter and Breathe.

Maxim of The Prodigy performing at Leeds Festival in the UK last month.

Despite the 2019 death of vocalist Keith Flint reducing the band to core members Liam Howlett and Maxim, their live power is undiminished, according to Mitchell.

“I was in Europe last year and The Prodigy played at a festival called Mad Cool in Madrid. I was just blown away,” he told The Press last month.

Local favourites Shapeshifter will perform with Ladi6 and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, while New Zealand’s own L.A.B. and Fat Freddy’s Drop will bring their vibes.

Aussie acts Tash Sultana, Peking Duk and Empire Of The Sun will hop over the Ditch to make appearances, and the international flavour is strengthened by Texan psychsters Khruangbin and UK acts Wilkinson, The Kooks and Rudimental.

Electric Avenue’s expansion for its tenth event is a result of the success of the 2024 festival, for which all but around 100 of the 35,000 tickets were sold. Mitchell hopes that The Prodigy and Chase & Status will attract as diverse an audience as The Chemical Brothers did this year.

Registration for ticket pre-sale is available at electricavenuefestival.co.nz, with admission starting at $249, or $899 for VIP access. Single-day tickets will become available in October, priced from $179 per day.

There have already been 25,000 ticket registrations, according to Mitchell. “We’re stoked by the level of interest,” he said. “It’s amazing to have a lineup of this calibre to celebrate our tenth birthday, and we can’t wait to party with you all.”