We have not one, but two reviews of The Prodigy’s live show in Cardiff.
THE PRODIGY | LIVE REVIEW
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Fri 8 May
With the feisty trio back from a six-year absence, The Prodigy are proving that they are still the best in electronic-dance music. With an intense atmosphere in the crowd, everyone pushed to get near the front as The Prodigy appeared on stage. It didn’t help when MC Maxim Reality shouted, “Are all my warriors here?” The crowd went wild, putting their fists in the air and throwing their phones up to capture and film the moment. For as far as the eye could see, The Prodigy’s ant logo was on t-shirts, hoodies and hats, creating the look of a Prodigy army ready to be released.
The beats were ridiculously loud as their first song Breathe played, followed by another banger Omen. With the red lights glowing him up, Keith Flint played their classic 1996 anthem Firestarter. The crowd went crazy as he screamed, “I’m a firestarter, twisted firestarter!” With the strobe lights flashing as if you were in front of the press on a red carpet, The Prodigy continued to blast out constant energy to the crowd.
Nasty, Get Your Fight On and Wild Frontier were just a few tracks from their new No.1 album The Day Is My Enemy. The Wall Of Death,’ which features Keith Flint’s vocals, had the crowd jumping up and down with their hands in the air. The crowd was in a trance that The Prodigy were creating on stage. With the band making the audience feel involved in the gig, it added to a joined community feeling. Everyone was there for the same reason, because they all loved the band as much as each other. With The Prodigy throwing out more from their new album, Roadblox was then played, which left people dancing all over the room, just lost in the music and not caring who saw them.
The Prodigy played a mixture of songs from all their albums, including selections from Music For The Jilted Generation, Fat Of The Land, Invaders Must Die and The Day is My Enemy. Before The Prodigy finished with hit anthem Smack My Bitch Up, Maxim told the crowd how thankful they were that everyone had come out to support them. Maxim then preached to the crowd: “We don’t care what you look like. We don’t care what you wear. All that matters to us is that you are who you are and that you’re here tonight.”
The Prodigy are definitely something else. How a band that big can play to a sold out show with thousands of people there and still involve the whole audience in the show, is just incredible. The Prodigy are one of those bands that you just have to see just once in your life. The Prodigy really do give you The Prodigy experience.
words CHELSEA HUGHES photo BARTLEBERRY LOGAN
THE PRODIGY | LIVE REVIEW
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Fri 8 May
On the night of 8 May 2015, just hours after the election results confirmed David Cameron would remain as Prime Minister, The Prodigy took to the stage at the Motorpoint Arena. Promoting their sixth studio album The Day Is My Enemy, it would have seemed appropriate if a band notorious for an anti-establishment attitude made some sort of political uproar. But instead, they remained politically mum, and focused on what they do best: aggressive, heavy-hitting dance music. Their sound is refreshing amongst the current samey chart-topping dance acts that Keith and the boys openly detest.
The group took to the stage in typical smoke-machine heavy Prodigy fashion, and began with Breathe. For anyone at the gig unfamiliar with their style, their lighting and set design more than anything highlighted their unique appeal. A few songs in, as Wild Frontier played, their light display became so overwhelming, and such a visual feast, that the band was indiscernible, masked behind rows and rows of seizure-inducing lights. And the staging, too, proved to be just as exciting as Maxim’s rallying cries for all his Voodoo People and warriors to follow him into dance hysteria.
A row of massive brollies placed high behind the band lit up and danced with toxic symbols and fairground-like light displays, confirming that this was no ordinary act, but The Prodigy, who happily entertain on a stage reminiscent of The Penguin’s lair on acid. Thankfully they did not shy away from reminding fans of the songs that have etched them into dance music history, giving them the ‘godfathers of rave’ title. They reached into their back catalogue and played a number of classics such as Firestarter, Invaders Must Die, and Smack My Bitch Up.
Although the 18-song set was carefully orchestrated mania, their age seemed to be more noticeable than ever. There was far less running, jumping and screaming, which is unsurprising as they have been together for over 25 years. But they are not fully to blame for why this was not their finest hour. A venue like the Motorpoint is simply unsuitable for their bass-heavy rages. They are festival titans, meant for raring up mud-covered gurning ravers. And it might be this very reason why the Cardiff crowd seemed mellower than ever.
words NATHANIEL PLEVYAK