Music review: The Prodigy
Academy, Glasgow ***
But the relentless son et lumiere barrage from their bruising marriage of hardcore techno and punk rock can wear thin, like a repeated sock in the jaw. And there is no truck with ballads or acoustic interludes during which to catch your breath.
The Prodigy’s development over the last three decades is not unlike the trajectory of their gigs. They started out in a rave frenzy – as exemplified here by Everybody In the Place, with its jabbering electro hook and crashing drums, and a frenetic tooled-up encore rendition of No Good (Start the Dance) which was at times closer to speed metal than happy hardcore – then simply ramped up the rock influence and dug in their heels for the long haul.
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Hide AdNew track Resonate stuck to the trusty formula – hysterical techno backdrop, propulsive skittering beat, speeded-up vocal samples and blaring interjections from Maxim. Meanwhile, fellow frontman Keith Flint flexed his muscles all over Firestarter and other mid-90s rave rock classics, keeping something in reserve for mighty metallic encore number Their Law, which generated the biggest moshpit of an already wild night.
FIONA SHEPHERD