Reflections of Darkness - Music Magazine - Prodigy, The

Details: Written by: Sebastian Huhn; Published: 30 May 2010

Philipshalle, Düsseldorf, Germany
29th May 2010
The Prodigy, South Central

This evening, THE PRODIGY played their fourth and last show in the course of their little jaunt to Germany within the scopes of the ‘Invaders Must Die’ tour 2010 and sure as hell they set the venue on fire.

South Central

SOUTH CENTRAL is the moniker, Brighton-based DJs Rob and Keith chose for their musical activities. After touring a lot through clubs, they attracted first attention in 2006 and from there on experienced growing popularity. The debut album ‘Diamonds’ came out in 2008. Besides that, they’ve done very prolific remix work for a plethora of artists. http://www.myspace.com/southcentralmusic

Music & Performance
But first Rob and Keith of SOUTH CENTRAL would be taking the stage to do the warm-up work. I have to say I had a bad feeling about this first, coming from my last experience with a DJ support of THE PRODIGY in Cologne a good year ago. Turns out I was wrong and a few minutes into the non-stop set, Rob and Keith were laying down up there I threw those feelings over board completely. It was like a clash of styles when they flawlessly mixed danceable electronics, rock, indie and all kinds of different stuff together to mix a cocktail the audience was only too willing to swallow and dance along to a lot. Several well-known tunes were given a new, fresh face.

For instance RAMMSTEIN’s ‘Du Hast’, loudly sung along by everyone, even wilder on the NIRVANA evergreen ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. A bit weird, hearing it with an electronic beat though. Takes some getting used to but after a while it’s cool, cool like the set of the duo, presented with visible joy.

Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 8
Sound: 7
Light: 7
Total: 7.3 / 10

The Prodigy

With such songs like ‘Firestarter’ or the insane ‘Breathe’ this British group around Liam Howlett has left indestructible marks in music history and albums like ‘Music for the Jilted Generation (1994) and ‘The Fat of the Land’ (1997) which is in the Guinness book of Record as the fastest-selling album in the respective year btw, are considered milestones nowadays. In 1997 and due to extreme controversies revolving around the video clip to ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ Liam Howlett announced there would be a fourth studio album anymore and in the following 5 years there wasn’t any musical life sign of THE PRODIGY until 2002 when the band appeared on many European Festivals and around that time presented a new song called ‘Baby’s Got A Temper’. The fourth album eventually followed in 2004 with ‘Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned’ which was torn apart by critics. The new opus ‘Invaders Must Die’ came out on 20th February 2009. THE PRODIGY live is: Liam Howlett (Keys / Synths), Keith Flint (Vocals), Maxim Reality (Vocals / Shouts), Rob Holliday (Live Guitar) and Leo Crabtree (Live Drums). http://www.theprodigy.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/theprodigy

Music & Performance
Waiting was up for a little while and then the lights dimmed for the noisy entrance ceremony of the main act. After everybody had been properly welcomed, the show started full throttle with ‘World’s on Fire’. However it wasn’t before the second offering, when it was “Time to Breathe” that hell really broke loose in the audience who were all enthusiastically singing along with Maxim, thrusting across the stage alongside Keith Flint and guitarist Rob Holliday. ‘Omen’ continued where it left off, pushing everyone even higher and having the light flashes on stage reaching an incredible speed. Hit followed after hit and as next one, the ‘Poison’ was injected into the crowd’s veins to force them all under the band’s control – as if it were necessary at all at this point. If there were any hesitations or embankments left at all here, they were torn down latest with ‘Warrior’s Dance’ and even more with the iconic ‘Firestarter’, which saw Keith letting his inner devil riot with no boundaries.

Fitted exactly what the crowd was doing at the time, following him suit with that. The ‘Voodoo People’ were coming around, and just as the invaders that must die, they were frenetically celebrated. One track I was very much hoping to hear came just before the end of the main set with ‘Smack My Bitch Up’. Once again, Maxim gained complete control over the audience, ordering them to sit down and jump up as soon as the heavy beat of the track kicked in again. The mood was at a peak and nobody was willing to go, so the guys had to come back, firing out ‘Take Me To The Hospital’ and ‘Out of Space’ with its compelling rhythms and memorable lyrics. The last we heard before leaving. Once again, we witnessed an incredible show and proof that THE PRODIGY is still on top of the game.

Setlist
01. World’s On Fire
02. Breathe
03. Omen
04. Poison
05. Thunder
06. Warrior’s Dance
07. Firestarter
08. Run With The Wolves
09. Voodoo People
10. Omen (Reprise)
11. Invaders Must Die
12. Diesel Power
13. Smack My Bitch Up
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14. Take Me To The Hospital
15. Out Of Space
16. Spitfire
17. Their Law

Rating
Music: 9
Performance: 8
Sound: 8
Light: 7
Total: 8.6 / 10