REVIEW

THE PRODIGY BIC

It’s been 12 hours since The Prodigy finished their set at the BIC and my ears are still ringing.

I have wanted to see them for years after stupidly opting to see Blur when the two bands’ sets clashed at Glastonbury.

It was worth the wait to see Keith Flint, Maxim, Liam Howlett and the boys.

The band definitely hasn’t mellowed with age, Maxim bellowing out to his ‘Bournemouth People’ repeatedly before they opened with Breathe.

As far as set-openers go, it was pretty spectacular.

The hard beats kept coming, material from new chart-topping album The Day Is My Enemy was mixed with anthems like Omen and Firestarter.

I get the impression that the band really don’t want to play Firestarter anymore, but as it’s probably their best-known song, feel they have to.

It showed in Keith’s performance of it.

Mr Flint has a fantastic stage presence, losing none of the menace that caused me to panic when I inadvertently knocked him over in the mud one year at the aforementioned festival.

Having not listened to the new album before the concert (I am useless) the new songs were really good, Nasty and Wild Frontier especially so. I better go and buy it.

The crowd were fantastic, they never stopped jumping throughout the night despite the floor of the BIC being absolutely packed.

I was rather impressed with the guy who managed to do a cartwheel in the circle pit without breaking his face.

They were rewarded with rockier updates of 90s dance classics Voodoo People and Smack My Bitch Up, two brilliant tracks that capped an amazing set. Invaders Must Die from the band’s last album of the same name is incredible live.

Even though they are approaching their 50s, the energy from the band never dropped, if I can be as spritely as that when I hit that age I will be a happy man.

The encore consisted of Their Law from 1994 album Music of The Jilted Generation and the aptly named Take Me To The Hospital, which someone will have to do if my hearing doesn’t return.

Best. Gig. Ever.

ANDY REED