THEY might have had huge hits and sold out shows, but Chase & Status reckon they’ll never lose their underground touch.

The duo – Saul Milton and Will Kennard – hit the O2 Academy this Saturday, as they put the finishing touches to their eagerly anticipated fourth record.

Their last two records both reached number two in the charts, but Saul believes the pair have kept their underground roots while hitting the mainstream.

“We don’t write music for the radio, we just write songs and sometimes it works enough to be a single,” he says.

“We’ve been very fortunate to come from an underground scene that is extremely vibrant and extremely busy. We’ve been lucky enough to pop our heads overground somehow, and have some commercial success because we never dreamed of making four albums.

“However we’re also very fortunate in that we can still do those underground things, then go to the Czech Republic and play to 20,000 kids – it’s become a career now, but we’re lucky enough to have that balance.”

Already this year has seen Saul and Will unveil a flurry of singles, from a team-up with punk band Slaves to working with rising grime star Novelist and promising singer Tom Grennan. Those tracks have given a flavour of what’s to come on their next record.

“We were supposed to have the record finished by now, but we’re perfectionists and wanted to make it the best that it could be,” explains Saul.

“There’s going to be a lot of great British talent there, a lot of new talent there. There will be surprises on there that I don’t want to spoil too early, but it’s also a return to straight up club bangers and, like we always do, there’s a lot of things on there that should work well in a live show.”

Over the years the duo have worked with a host of names, including the likes of Plan B, Tinie Tempah and Giggs. However what the group seek the most is fresh talent. Saul reckons that hitting upon an emerging act can provide Chase & Status with a lift as well.

“You always feel that the ones that are going to go somewhere are the ones with a bit of fire in their bellies that are willing to try anything in the studio,” he says.

“When they’re at the beginning of their journey it’s really inspiring for us as well and a great vibe to have working in the studio. When an act becomes more successful they also become more busy, but when you’re working with someone at the beginning they’ve got more time to experiment, and it’s really great to see them go places after you’ve given them a leg up.”

A less happy note is the current state of the British clubbing scene. A crackdown on clubs in recent years has seen the likes of the Arches in Glasgow and London’s famous Fabric venue forced to close their doors. That’s something that’s a real concern for Saul.

“It feels like there’s a vendetta,” he says.

“People have been passing laws on places they would never go to or know anything about, and clubs are being given the blame for people consuming narcotics. Every death is tragic, but it’s unfair for a club to face the sanctions for an individual partaking in these drugs. If there was a fight in a pub and someone got bottled, and went to hospital, the bar would still exist – there wouldn’t be calls to shut bars down.

“I’m a 35-year-old man so my days of going to raves are gone, but if it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t be doing this now. When I was younger and saw raves and went to nightclubs, that what was started me wanting to DJ and that’s not going to exist now.”

Evidence of Saul not quite being a party animal are confirmed when he mentions their most recent visit to Glasgow, when they played the Mobo awards two weeks ago.

“We’d played the Hydro before, we were one of the first acts to do it on our arena tour so it was nice to come back, although it’s very different when there’s a bunch of tables there rather than sweaty kids going crazy.

“Afterwards we headed straight for the Caledonian Sleeper home, which was very nice. It’s not quite the Orient Express but I enjoyed it nonetheless - I managed to sleep the whole way!”

Chase & Status, O2 Academy, Saturday, £26.50, 7pm