The Big Top at Luna Park (11 March) could not have been a more perfect venue for the circus freaks of the rock world that are The Prodigy.
And don’t think that doesn’t include the audience too. Freaks were left, right and centre, myself included obviously. While lining up beneath the huge ferris wheel that signposts Luna Park, I noticed something about The Prodigy’s demographic. They don’t have one. And that's what makes them so fantastic.
Fronted by the two, talented circus freaks, Maxim and Keith Flint, with real life prodigy Liam Howlett at the turntables, they are a true punk band converging years of music culture.
Starting the night with (perhaps pre-emptive) 'Omen' from their 2009 album ‘Invaders Must Die’, I copped multiple elbows to the head. But I guess that’s what you get when you’re a barrier bitch and The Prodigy is playing… Be warned. A fit-inducing light show accompanied the entire night’s music, creating a spectacle for not only the ears but the eyes as well.
Image © Matt Viesis
Together a Prodigy-sized earthquake was formed beneath The Big Top, the tremors shaking the audience to their core. They rolled out two of their new songs early on in the set, the younger end of the audience going nuts for ‘Nasty’ and the latest, ‘Wild Frontier’. They both showcased how the group is continually recreating themselves year after year.
I’m constantly forgetting how long The Prodigy have been around because of their consistently modern sound, but the crowd at The Big Top was an instant reminder. Although one of the younger members in the audience, I happen to like that better. As my mum later reminded me: “Well we do know how to rock and we don’t have any inhibitions like you lot”. And she couldn’t have been more right! The crowd was insane!
Image © Matt Viesis
A Prodigy show wouldn’t be the same without the timeless classics. The anthems ‘Smack My Bitch Up' and 'Invaders Must Die' both made a welcome appearance. And let's be serious, it wouldn’t be worth going if they didn’t. ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ in particular could’ve ended in flattened bodies when Keith and Maxim asked us all to get low to the floor. But as soon as the iconic chorus began to blare we all jumped up as if possessed by the beat.
The Prodigy have created their own art form. They’ve fused the best bits of metal, techno and hip hop, mooshed it all together and created a worldwide movement that cannot be mimicked. But it can be appreciated by everyone – no matter your age, sex, location or anything in between.
