Braintree's finest dance act The Prodigy really are quite brilliant, and with tickets going on sale this morning for their three special gigs at Brixton Academy it was more than enough to get us excited.
Liam Howlett (composer and keyboardist), Keith Flint (vocalist), and Maxim Reality (vocalist/MC) formed in the early 1990s and it has been a long, sometimes hard, struggle to get where they are now.
From drugs infused/rave favourite 'Charly' to their own mini-festival at the Milton Keynes National Bowl, they are the band that seem to have done it all. Gigwise takes a look at some key moments in the illustrious career of the legendary dance act.
From one limited EP to December's live shows...
1991 - What Evil Lurks EP: The first release from unknown band The Prodigy, a three man electronic music act from Essex. Only 7000 copies were made of the four song EP. History was made.
1991 - 'Charly': The first real hit single for the band, it got to number 3 in the UK Singles Chart and has gone down in legend as a rave anthem.
1994 - Music for the Jilted Generation: The Prodigy's second album and their first to reach No.1 in the UK chart.
1995 - Glastonbury Festival: "Glastonbury - are you ready to rock," screamed Keith. Described as one of the greatest Glasto performances ever, their set on the NME Stage was a special one for all involved.
1996 - Firestarter: Liam said of the record it was "a major turning point...I knew then it was original, that I had achieved something." The video also revealed the infamous transformation of Keith Flint and angered Christians and parents the world over.
1997 - 'Smack My Bitch Up' Video Controversy: The unedited version included heroin use, a hit and run incident, fights with men, abuse of women, and a full sex scene. It was banned by the BBC and was voted as the "Most Controversial Video" in MTV's history in 2002.
2002 - 2004 - An unsuccessful return: After three years away from playing live or releasing any new material, The Prodigy released the single 'Baby's Got Temper' in 2002 and 'Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned' in 2004. Despite the album charting at No.1, the comeback was not nearly as successful as many thought it would be.
2009 - Invaders Must Die - the successful return: To comeback again was quite a task, luckily with the album again reaching Number 1 in the UK the album produced hits like 'Omen' and 'Take Me to the Hospital.' The reviews were good and The Prodigy were back. Anyone who saw their subsequent sets at Reading and Leeds festivals also witnessed an out-of-body experience of awesomeness.
2010 - Warriors Dance Festival: The Prodigy have played their biggest ever headline gig in front of 65,000 fans at the Milton Keynes National Bowl. It was EPIC.
2012 - 'Brixton Warriors: End of the World Extravaganza.': The Prodigy put on a real treat for fans with two special shows at Brixton Academy in 2012. With the band celebrating the 15th anniversary of 'Fat of the Land' and a headline performance at Download, it was an incredible and exciting year for the band.
2013 - The Future: The rave-rock heroes debuted new track 'The Day' at Warrior's Brixton last year and 'Rockweiler' at Rock am Ring 2013. Both sounded pretty mean and beefy. With an incredible line-up that includes Jaguar Skills, Shy FX and Caspa at their upcoming December dates and Warehouse Project shows, it's clear that they're back and mean business. Expect awesome new material just around the corner.
More about: The Prodigy
Photo: WENN.com
