Yorkshire rap collective Bad Boy Chiller Crew began by uploading comedy and prank videos onto social media, which later began to materialise into a musical career as the three-piece became one of the hottest bassline acts in the musical world – even having their own six-part reality television series as well as selling out nationwide tours, besides signing a big record deal with House Anxiety Records.

The Bradford band’s career was suddenly put on hold when they faced a legal battle with their former record label over alleged unpaid royalties, which meant that they could not tour or release any new music. Thankfully, a judge decided that their record deal had expired, with the band now able to release any new songs independently.

Speaking to band member Kane Welsh inside the newly opened music venue Bradford Live, where the band will perform their biggest hometown concert in February, the mood that prevailed seemed upbeat and optimistic, with Welsh seemingly confident about the future.

“We have been wanting to play at Bradford Live—the biggest music venue in Bradford—since we knew the place was opening; this is the one we have been patiently waiting for, and I am sure that our fans have too,” offered Welsh, now taking off his favourite sunglasses as he eased back into his comfy chair.

“The fans will be in for a real treat – we have a lot of surprises lined up, though we do not want to spoil it by giving away too much’.

Surprisingly, the Bradford Live gig will be only the second time the group have played a concert in their home city; the first time was at St George’s Hall in 2021, where Bad Boy Chiller Crew sold out the venue.

With many of their tracks sampling old house music songs, the inspiration behind many of their hits comes from other genres, with Welsh listening to a lot of grime artists and American rappers in his early youth before eventually gravitating to dance music.

For any act being away for too long from the music arena, there is always the danger that their fanbase might have deserted them, something that was always paramount with Welsh: “The fans might think that we were not doing anything whilst we were not in the public eye, although we couldn’t release any new tracks or tour because of the court case; we were working away on new music all the time.

For all of us it was an unpredictable time – no one knew what the outcome was going to be – it felt like we were jogging on the spot and going nowhere. The fact that we never packed it in and broke up the band is madness in itself: the whole process felt like the world was against us. Everything that happened to us over the last two years has been a lesson learnt – the experience has taught us a lot about the legal side of the music industry.”

The band recently teamed up with Dizzee Rascal on the track 660, resulting in the first new music since the court case. The track came as a result of a surprise meeting, as Welsh explained, “He was doing a tour, and we ended up performing for him as special guests – we got along really well, and as we had the song already to go, we just needed a singer to add to the track, and Dizzee seemed the perfect choice.”

With Bradford having its year in the limelight as UK City of Culture in 2025, the city held a multitude of events featuring homegrown acts – the omission of the C crew was always apparent, a point that Welsh agreed with. “At times we couldn’t even contemplate doing anything live due to the legal proceedings – nothing was even discussed about the band doing anything in terms of a live performance with Bradford 2025.”

With two of the band still living in the city, the culinary delights offered in what is said to be the capital of curry are still a big favourite with the band. “Until you get out of Bradford, you do not realise how good the food scene is in Bradford. I cannot think of any one instance when I’ve had a good curry outside of Bradford.”

With the Bradford Live show in the offing and new music to come, Welsh remained buoyant about the future: “If anyone has any doubts about coming to the homecoming gig, I would say to them, ‘Change your mind – have a little boogie, enjoy yourself and perhaps have one of the best nights out you will ever experience.’ After what we have all been through over the last couple of years, it is time for a big party that has been a long time coming – get ready to celebrate with us!”

Bad Boy Chiller Crew play Bradford Live on Saturday 28th February

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