The Prodigy @ o2 Academy, 7th May 2015
It’s hard to believe that The Prodigy have been blasting us for some twenty five years, and the current album, “The Day is My Enemy” really is a return to form, following the meteoric “Fat of The Land”, however, live the new songs are even heavier, more pummelling as true to Liam’s word in a recent Mojo interview they attack with their music. From start to end there’s no let up, no pause, just full-on, in your face and more accurately in your ears, this was an attack, an assault, and for those lucky enough to have a ticket it is easily one of the best lives shows of the year.
This current tour sees a more intimate set of venues, the last time I had the pleasure was in the cavernous NIA, tonight the same PA system appears to have been shoe-horned into the much smaller Academy and at times over 100db is hit (yes I did check, sad but true).
No grand entrance, the lights simply dim, a lone guitarist wails and out walk Maxim and Keith. Maxim commands the stage, “where are my people, where the fuck is Birmingham” while a thousand pair of hands are raised. Meanwhile Keith commands your attention, pacing from side to side of the stage, and a combination of shaking and rocking almost as if he’s about to explode at any second. It’s hard to take your eyes off him. Centre stage is of course the maestro to this, Liam Howlett. At times he’s hard to see due to dry ice and incessant strobes, but he’s there, orchestrating, controlling. A drummer and guitarist complete the band.
The first strains of “Breathe” starts and instantly every single person is up on their feet, with security failing completely in their efforts to get people on the balcony to sit down. Never going to happen, The Prodigy are on stage.
The set is full-on, and the new songs (which on first hearing on vinyl didn’t particularly excite) live take on a whole new meaning, with new depths, new heaviness and enough bass to rip your lungs out. I have to admit this is one of the loudest gigs I’ve ever been to, and I’ve been to a couple. Another point to note was the heat, which was unbearable and it’s not often the steam rising from the crowd matches the amount of dry ice from the stage. Obviously to get a good view I choose the balcony tonight, and my aged bones couldn’t cope with the thronging mass below.
The set covers the whole back catalogue, and it’s brilliant. It’s only when you hear old and new next to each other that you realise just how brilliant and ground-breaking those first songs were, and how awesome the new are. “Rok-Weiler” sees Maxim jump down into the pit and then make his way into the crowd, adding his lines whilst amongst the crowd.
So any criticism? Well at times there was possibly too much dry ice, and with back-lights nothing could be seen at times, and add to that strobes and the fact that Keith and Maxim never keep still must be a photographers’ nightmare. Also there was no
The Prodigy are now in their mid-forties, and in the recent MOJO interview with Liam he’s asked ‘this music can be hard on the body, do you think you may stop soon, to which he replies “not right this second. But we say to each other as soon as we get any impression it isn’t happening, we’ll gladly bail out”. Tonight it was happening, and seeing The Prodigy in such an intimate venue it was clear to see Liam, Maxim and Keith are as passionate about their music as they have ever been.
What a brilliant gig
Set-list
Breathe
Nasty
Omen
Wild Frontier
Firestarter
Roadblox
Rok-Weiler
The Day Is My Enemy
Beyond the Deathray
Voodoo People
Get Your Fight On
Run With the Wolves
Wall of Death
Invaders Must Die
Medicine
Smack My Bitch Up
Their Law
Take Me to the Hospital
Review: Glenn Raybone
Photographs: Ian Dunn