With the very sad news of the death of The Prodigy front man Keith Flint, South Wales Echo's Jo Manning's review of their November 2005 Cardiff gig gives anyone not lucky enough to see them some idea of the band's powerful, almost anarchistic approach to dance music. True pioneers and like the Sex Pistols before them, changed music with a kick in the pants.
COMBINING the raw energy of a metal band with the pure rush of hardcore dance, music pioneers The Prodigy brought 8,000 ravers to their knees in the Cardiff International Arena last night.
From the moment they arrived on their rather awesome pirate ship-style stage, the three core members of The Prodigy ’s live act, augmented by a group of equally-deranged musicians, went for the jugular, pumping out an incendiary version of Their Law which had the entire crowd jumping and flinging their arms skywards. There were very few breathers in the 90 minute set from then on.
Looking like a strange hybrid of Adam Ant and the Phantom of the Opera, MC Maxim led proceedings, aided and abetted by Keith Flint, who appears to have ditched the green punk sidies in favour of a Sebastian from Little Britain sweep-over style.
What remained the same however were their quite bonkers dance moves along to classic Prodigy electro-punk mash ups like Breathe, Charly, Firestarter, Remedy, an absolutely storming version of No Good and showstopper Out Of Space.
Although some of these tracks are almost 15 years old, but still sound fresh and vital.
Long live The Prodigy !
By Joanne Manning
Such was their musical impact one South Wales husband's dying wish was to have the chart- topping hit Firestarter is played at his cremation.
Eddie Sterling, 43, wanted people to have a laugh at his funeral after he died of a brain tumour.
The ice-cream man left instructions that The Prodigy ’s Firestarter is to be played at the crematorium.
A family friend said, “Eddie could not bear the thought of people being miserable at his funeral, so he has given us something to laugh at.
“He was determined to be remembered with more smiles than tears.
“Eddie always thought Firestarter was the ideal song for a cremation, so he chose it for himself.”
Mr Sterling, from Taffs Well, Cardiff , refused to give in when doctors discovered the brain tumour two years ago.
Keith Flint was vocalist and a founding member of The Prodigy.