Live Review: Genre splicing electronic icons The Prodigy headline Birmingham's Utilita Arena

It’s been nearly two-and-a-half years since the Essex genre-melding pioneers played the venue and while the setlist hasn’t changed much in composition, it hardly seemed to matter.

This wasn’t just a show – it was a blitzkrieg of noise and light with the sole intention of getting people to move.

And, while it was still possible to see the odd phone light winking as it snapped and videoed the proceedings, it was obvious this was a night where people had come to enjoy themselves and let go.

The range of people in the crowd was a statement to how The Prodigy have transcended genres.

From the frequently shirtless contingent slam-dancing in impromptu moshpits to ‘Smack My ***** Up’ and ‘Breathe’ to the older heads in the seats remembering their rave days while dancing to ‘Voodoo People’ and ‘No Good (Start the Dance)’, the arena was filled with people who just wanted to enjoy their Saturday night.

There were moments of poignancy too. ‘Firestarter’ was an instrumental laser show highlighted by the outline of Keith Flint’s iconic hairstyle on the big screen in tribute to the front man who passed in 2019.

MC and hype man Maxim Reality also paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, dedicating the track ‘Poison’ to him to the appreciation of the crowd.

The sheer intensity of the show owes much to how The Prodigy have evolved their sound over the last 20 years.

Liam Howlett very much remains the creative force behind the band – and remained rooted behind a plethora of keyboards and electronics all night.

But the addition of touring guitarist Rob Holliday and drummer Leo Crabtree brings an extra dimension to their sound on stage, turning already anthemic songs into a sheer force of nature.

Visually, from start to finish it was an assault on the senses, with strobes flashing out illuminating an arena packed to absolute capacity with lasers criss-crossing and reaching out to the ceiling.

The choice of Carl Cox to support is inspired too. The 63-year-old DJ is still a legend behind the decks, playing a two-hour slot of old school tracks mixed in the old school way - purely on vinyl.

It was a set designed not only to get people in the mood for the show, but to get people dancing and having a good time.

The Prodigy will team up again with Cox and a host of other acts for four huge outdoor Warriors Dance summer shows – with the band set to headline in Dublin, Milton Keynes, Edinburgh and Manchester.

Three-and- a-half decades into their career, The Prodigy remain a stunning band to witness live and if Saturday night’s sold-out headline Utilita gig was anything to go by, these outdoor shows will be another enjoyable and riotous carnage of sound and dance.

Tickets for those gigs are on sale now via https://lnk.to/TPWD26

The Prodigy played:

Omen

Voodoo People

Poison

Climbatize / Warrior’s Dance / Everybody in the Place

Light Up the Sky

Claustrophobic Sting / Firestarter

Thunder

No Good (Start the Dance)

The Day Is My Enemy

Invaders Must Die

Roadblox

Weather Experience

Their Law

Smack My ***** Up

Breathe

Take Me To The Hospital

Diesel Power

We Live Forever

Out of Space