NME

The Prodigy on Reading & Leeds 2024: “There’s only one plan – get on stage and tear the place apart”

• 21st August 2024
• Andrew Trendell

Liam Howlett talks to NME about returning to R&L without Keith Flint, that infamous Beastie Boys feud, taking to The Chevron and plans for the future

The Prodigy have spoken to NME about their return to Reading & Leeds 2024 this weekend – their first time at the iconic festival since the passing of Keith Flint.

The band suffered the loss of frontman Keith Flint when he took his own life back in 2019, aged 49. Back in 2022, the surviving members of the band hit the road for their first live tour since Flint’s death – incorporating a tribute to the icon during ‘Firestarter‘ in their high-octane set and keeping Flint’s memory alive. The tour went down a storm with fans.

Now, they’re back to play R&L for the sixth time – headlining the “groundbreaking” new stage, The Chevron.

With the festival about to kick off, the band’s Liam Howlett has shared his favourite memories from the August Bank Holiday bash, as well as telling us what the future holds for the Firestarters. Check out our full interview below.

NME: Hello Liam. What are some of your favourite reading & Leeds memories?

“The big row with the Beastie Boys was a pretty amusing memory. There’s one for ya!”

[The Prodigy came to blows with Beastie Boys after the NYC rap icons requested that they not play ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ during at Reading 1998, where both bands were playing]

How do you feel about returning to Reading & Leeds without Keith?

“After losing Keith we couldn’t even think or talk about the band. I think it was two years after his death that me and Maxim started bringing it up. ‘Could we play live again? Did we even want to? Why? How?’ All that shit. We realised the only possible real way to know how we would feel was to do it: get back on stage and do a bunch of gigs. It was so hard to walk onto that stage without our brother, but we really felt the crowd with us. Those gigs were highly emotionally-charged but we came out the other end with our answer.

“That was summer 2022 and here we fucking are: loud and proud!”

Reading & Leeds has what you have: that history of smashing rock and dance together. What is it about the festival that feels like home to you?

“Our 1994 ‘Jilted’ album ‘smashed’ rock and electronic music together, and they have always supported and been behind us as a band since those early days when we were trying to do something different. Reading & Leeds always feels special and we’ve buzzed off every time we played these festivals.”

You’re the first band to headline the new Chevron stage – what are your plans for that?

“Lucky us. There’s only one plan and that is to get on stage and proceed to tear the place apart.”

How’s progress going on new material? You told us last year that it was being inspired by getting back out on stage?

“Yeah, good – the ideas flow more when we are right in it touring. Playing live fuels the music for me. It’s always been that way. If I have too much time off, I start getting distracted and wandering off course. I like to keep it on edge and moving.”

Where does the new stuff take your sound?

“We have owned our own sound since the start, so we ain’t about to change. It’s all about writing bigger tunes and finding different ways to sonically attack the crowd when we play live.”

A lot of the biggest bands around cite you as an inspiration in terms of your energy, spirit, and genre-smashing approach. Do you feel your influence on the current crop of massive rock and dance acts?

“Yeah, it’s always cool for me to hear other bands talk about our band. I always said from day one I’d be happy to get respect on a street level as a producer and writer. I still feel the same.”

What does the rest of 2024 have in store for you?

“Take my dog for shit loads of walks – then straight in the studio to finish some tunes I’ve been working on.”

What’s your advice for fans attending Reading & Leeds for the first time?

“Get a Prodigy poncho incase it rains! Cheers.”

The Prodigy headline The Chevron stage on Friday August 23 at Reading and Saturday August 24 at Leeds. R&L this year will see headline sets from Liam Gallagher, Lana Del Rey, Fred Again.., Blink-182, Catfish & The Bottlemen and Gerry Cinammon, alongside performances from the likes of Fontaines D.C., RAYE, Kneecap, Pendulum, Nia Archives, Neck Deep and many more.

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• Reading incident
• Beastie Boys
• Festivals

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