Culturecatz

Live Review: The Prodigy at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena

• 9th March 2015
• Jake Beaumont

Last night saw The Prodigy return to Cardiff since they played there last during 2009’s ‘Invaders Must Die’ tour. This time around the electronic pioneers returned to the Motorpoint Arena following the release of their new Number One album ‘The Day Is My Enemy’. The packed arena was full of an eclectic mix of supporters  – from the younger fans that queued all day to the hardcore ravers that have followed the band throughout their career.

The crowd roared as the band appeared onto the stage and opened their set with smash hit ‘Breathe’, taken from 1997’s double-platinum selling ‘The Fat Of The Land’. Charismatic frontmen Keith and Maxim looked as bold as ever, playing up to the crowd and warming them up for what was to come. They opted to dress up theatrically, with Keith wearing an early-military themed outfit whilst Maxim was hooded with face-paint. Producer Liam walked on and briefly addressed the fans before heading towards the back of the stage where his equipment was located.

The band then went on to perform the combative ‘Nasty’ off the new album, at this point emerging from their outfits and dancing around on the stage as expected. A lot of the new material off ‘The Day Is My Enemy’ went down well with the audience at the show, including tracks such as: ‘Wild Frontier’, ‘Roadblox’, ‘Rokweiler’, ‘Wall Of Death’ and ‘Medicine’. In fact, one of the best live moments of the night was when the band performed ‘The Day Is My Enemy’ –  the thumping battle-styled drums and shrieky synth solos of the studio cut were really emphasized and brought to life in a live environment.

Technically speaking, the band were spot on – the sound quality of the night was excellent and the trio were joined by a live drummer and guitarist that positively contributed to the overall vibe and dynamics of the music. Tracks such as ‘Their Law’ and ‘Take Me To The Hospital’ –  which were performed at the encore –  were definitely given an extra bit of oomph by the accompaniment of the guitar.

Overall, this was an excellent show by a band that have established their title as one of the most thrilling bands on record and the live circuit. They had a strong catalogue of hits that they performed and the newer material was equally digested positively. The band – who are now in their 40s and have been performing since the early 90s – genuinely seemed to be having fun and thriving off the audience. The highlight of the night was when ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ was performed – there seemed to be a sense of solidarity within the arena and everybody was unified through the power of dance.

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• Review
• Gigs

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