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Tonight at Wembley two pioneers of outsider movements take to the stage in a show that contrasts how both have coped with becoming fully paid-up members of the establishment.
In the early 1980s a socially-conscious Chuck D would have baulked at the idea of playing at such a sanitised and corporate venue as the SSE Wembley Arena, as would have bolshie techno head Liam Howlett in 1990. Yet here we are; both now have seats on the board of musical directors.
Public Enemy are up first and immediately show why they've been filling arenas for two decades. 'Fight The Power' and 'Don't Believe The Hype' are tossed away mid-set but remain some of the most powerful weapons in any movement's armoury. 'Shut Em Down' is the undoubted highlight. Two familiar figures in combat fatigues patrol the back of the stage while Chuck D and Flava Flav spit some of the best lines there are.
Then it's the Prodigy's turn to tackle Wembley's cavernous space. From the off they're an explosion of noise, strobe lights and pent up aggression. Keith Flint wheels about as if his life depends on it, like some sort of ageing techno-shark.
Album Fat Of The Land is sucked dry in a set that relies heavily on the early part of Prodigy's career. 'Breathe' and 'Poison' get the 'warriors' at the front into overdrive and generally the mood inside the arena is one of universally sweaty exuberance.
So how did the two ultimate outsiders cope with being at the top of the pyramid? Public Enemy will always be in a better position to stay relevant. Their themes are universal and timeless. They will always stand for fighting oppression and power, even being able to sustain the paradox of now being the powerful themselves.
Prodigy will always entertain. They'll always stand for something that was once important. But tonight shows how of its time that message was. The rave scene, even the era that spawned Prodigy when the drugs were cut with god knows what and everything got darker, stills mean a lot to a lot of people. But the truth is gigs like this price most of them out of the market and what you're left with is a very clean and safe space, with a lot of noise and bright lights but not much else. Prodigy will always bring the noise, Public Enemy will just bring it better.
