Berkshire Live

Review: The Prodigy at Rivermead Leisure Complex

• 12th May 2015
• Catalina Diamond

Sweat dripped off every single person packed into Rivermead Leisure Complex as The Prodigy performed in Reading

4/5

Walking up to the Rivermead in Reading on Monday night felt like a mini-festival.

Outdoor toilets, the designated zig-zag lines surrounded by wire fencing for queuing and the ever present security. It felt real, The Prodigy were in town.

Once inside however things got a little more chaotic and complicated. but more of that later.

Guest artist DJ Eddie Temple Morris was already pumping out some tunes. The lighting on him was red, very red which was such a shame as he was kind of good to look at. Eddy played a mix of older style hip-hop through to modern dance classics. He's a very good DJ and everyone around me agreed.

Prodigy came on fierce to the roar of the crowd first playing Breathe followed by Nasty from their latest album and then Omen.

The crowd were jumping as they should be and the continuous light display of flashing and block colours, particularly green featured throughout the whole evening. Wild Frontier felt like an old favourite although a new track from their latest album The Day is My Enemy.

Take a look at our fan gallery from The Prodigy gig.

Firestarter got the crowd into a melting mush of dance activity and I was definitely feeling the heat. This was followed with Roadblox, Rok-Wieler and The Day is My Enemy. Then came the classic Voodoo People, Get Your Fight On, Run with The Wolves and Wall of Death. Invaders Must Die and Medicine permeated the hot, hot air that had accumulated in the venue by now.

The set was finished with Smack My Bitch Up which has this subconscious way of making people dance with one leg in the air. A must see.

By the encore everyone was shiny-skinned, there wasn't a dry person around me.

The venue itself, to have a band like The Prodigy playing, was not for the timid and faint hearted. Moving about the place to get to the toilet or even get a drink felt like being in the fourth row back from the main stage at < href="http://www.getreading.co.uk/all-about/reading-festival">Reading Festival - it was very cosy.

The Prodigy finished the encore with Their Law and then Take Me To the Hospital and, feeling slightly like herded cattle, I was pleased I didn't end up at the hospital.

Instead I jumped, danced and arm-waved my way through the whole gig and came out very pleased I'd ventured out to see them on a Monday night. I'm sorry if you missed them.

---

• Review
• Gigs

---