25 years gone and The Prodigy are still seen as one of the most legendary live electronic acts ever. I can credit The Prodigy for opening my eyes to the world of electronic music with my first ever listen to Fat Of The Land (1997), 11 years after its release. In 1997 they had just headlined Glastonbury Festival (after doing one of the best ever Glastonbury sets in 1995) and had become internationally acclaimed by having a number one album in 6 countries (including over two million copies sold in the United States) which was all because this instant classic featured songs such as ‘Smack My Bitch Up’, ‘Breathe’ and perhaps their most famous track ‘Firestarter’.

 

Their story started with the release of the rave scene inspired ‘Charly’ (1991) that charted at number 3 in the UK single charts despite its obvious, yet overlooked reference to cocaine. Then the release of their well-received debut, Experience, in 1992 and a UK chart topping follow up album, Music for the Jilted Generation, in 1994, jettisoned them as the must see act in the UK. The Prodigy’s impact on the UK music scene has never floundered, gaining three more UK number one albums, most recently with Invaders Must Die (2009) and The Day Is My Enemy (2015) which won over a new generation of audiences.

 

Speaking to devoted fans outside the Brighton Centre, I found there was an equal divide in their fan base with a younger audience supporting the newer more generic electronic punk-rock sound and the rest devoted to their old sklool sound (I am definitely with the later). This was surprising, but nevertheless, everyone was just as pumped up each other for what was certain to be a mega show.

 

Getting the audience in an energetic mood was UK “dubstep” producer Flux Pavilion, who not only credits The Prodigy as a major influence for his sound but also featured on their most recent album. With songs like ‘I Can’t Stop’, ‘Bass Cannon’ and his remix of DJ Fresh’s ‘Gold Dust’, there was no surprise that nearly the whole audience had their dubstep skank on.

 

With the audience ready and raring to go with palpable excitement levels at bursting point, the lights dim and the unmistakable intro to ‘Breathe’ began making the audience go berserk. The booming bass filled the auditorium turning the venue into blissful turmoil with singing, jumping and dancing taking over. Throughout the show the band was backlit with satellite dish shaped lights facing the crowd a still mist covering the stage, so you could only see silhouettes of the band. Vocalists Keith Flint and MC Maxim kept the crowd in a frenzy with an almost hostile stage presence, darting from one side to the other and posturing towards the audience. I hadn’t felt such an overwhelming atmosphere at a gig for a long, long time.

 

With such a strong catalogue there is no surprise that some major tunes were left out of the set. To have no songs from their early pre-1994 releases or 2004’s Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned album was slightly disappointing but understandable as half of the 18 song set came from their newest release which the tour is supporting. For me, I found their newer material painfully predictable and lacked any of the ingenuity that was inbounds 10 years prior, however it didn’t stop all those in the standing area, and even in the seating, from constantly moving for 80 minutes.

 

You forget how good a venue the Brighton Centre is for an act like this – the sound and visuals are always unbeatable for a Brighton venue, and the extra space you get in the big auditorium (even though it was an instant sell out) is more than welcoming. There is no doubt that these days The Prodigy’s live show is not as raucous as it was 15 years ago, but it is still one hell of an experience.

Iain Lauder