Project Description

THE PRODIGY

+ SHOCKONE + ENSCHWAY

@ RAC ARENA

24/01/19

(Live Review)

Reviewer: Yasmin Richards

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Entering through the general admission doors felt like the Twilight Zone. I was greeted into pure darkness with the exception of an eerie glow from the decks of Triple J Unearthed DJ, Enschway, which illuminated his silhouette. While only a small crowd gathered at the start, they were absorbing the ambient EDM underneath flickering strobe lights.

Enschway unveiled his mix of ‘Freestyler’ by Bomfunk MC’s to turn the crowd around and the leave them body rocking into a ball of nostalgia. Not one for using his turntables to shy away, he smiled and bopped around with the crowd. To end his set on an unsuspecting note, Enschway mixed up ‘All The Small Things’ by Blink 182 with some background dance.

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Next up came Perth-born music producer and DJ, ShockOne. Without hesitation, he opened his set with an ominous arrangement of aircraft sounds and a drum build up that had my adrenaline pumping in wait of something big. Soon enough, the bass dropped and everyone was on their feet, arms spinning out of control and minds lost. Every so often he would engage and count the crowd in, helping even those without rhythm to discover it.

Being an observer of ShockOne’s capabilities, I believed him to be less attached to the Australian music scene, let alone the Australian dance scene. Here in front of me stood a man who could incorporate over 14 different variations of dance music and work collectively with artists such as The Ashton Shuffle, Netsky and Russo to name a few.

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After a few more songs, a blonde-haired woman appeared on stage with a microphone in her hand.

“How the fuck are you Perth? Are you ready for The Prodigy? Give it up for my brother, ShockOne!”

Reija Lee, ShockOne’s biological sister and Triple J Unearthed winner, is also a musician and known mostly from her work in the Electropop duo Kito & Reija Lee. Now making a name for herself in the music world solo, she too has worked with a variety of artists such as T.I and OutKast’s Big Boi. Together, the siblings began their collaboration track ‘A Dark Machine.’ Reija prompted the crowd to join her in the lyrics.

There are a few of you out there who were directly subjected to the U.K. rave scene or Australia’s long deceased Big Day Out festival. Another select few missed out on the commercial success of ‘Music For The Jilted Generation’ and ‘Fat Of The Land.’ It has been nearly 30 years since aggressive cyberpunks and pioneers of rave; The Prodigy stormed the subwoofers of every club and rave party. Now, the band were back on Australian soil to prove that they are indeed ‘no tourists’ with the release of their newest album of the same name. Keith Flint, Liam Howlett and Maxim (dressed in what appeared to be a grizzly bear suit) walked onstage like ticking time bombs, ready to blow minds and combust hearts with heavy bass.

I had waited 20 years to see The Prodigy live. They were no longer pieces of colourful static moving around on a VHS player from the Electronic Punks tape. Instead, they were timeless icons dressed to kill.

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Bringing on the harsh strobe lights, the band opened up with 1997 classic, ‘Breathe.’ The bodies once divided in the pit now joined together with fists pummeling the air and a chorus of singing fans. For a song over 20 years old, fans acted as if it was the first time hearing a masterpiece and despite beer keeping most feet cemented to the floor, no one was a stranger to jumping as high as they could.

Maxim Reality took to the microphone, addressing his ‘warriors’,

“All my warriors, my Prodigy people…how the fuck are you? We’re back in Australia and I’m not fucking leaving because the weather’s so nice.”

Even for a cold and rainy day, unattractive to most citizens of Perth, even a wet day in January seemed enviable to the natives of Essex.

Tonight, the band were set on delivering popular crowd pleasers to eager fans, hungry for their favourites to be played. Perhaps the scariest part of the night was when ‘Omen’ exploded through the speakers. Everyone had a taste for blood and the blood was most certainly brought, when people on top of shoulders swung their excited feet into the faces of innocent concertgoers.

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‘Everybody In The Place’ targeted the ex-ravers, like my dad, who brought out their shape cutting, fancy footwork for a one night only special. There was something for everyone in each individual song.

Seeing as their newest album, ‘No Tourists’ was released late last year, the band included a few songs to promote its success. Songs like ‘Light Up The Sky’ proved that although it was a new piece of material, it still carried the same unique sound signature to The Prodigy. ‘Need Some 1’ carried a violent and desperate arrangement of sound that was well received by the crowd. It goes without saying that The Prodigy has the Midas touch in the world of rave and its subgenres.

For a minute there, I thought my phone was ringing with my choice of ‘No Good (Start The Dance)’ as the ringtone. Sure it was, at a volume of 200+ and across many subwoofers in front of me. This was the loudest and most involved I had seen the crowd all night. This time, everyone’s dance moves were almost choreographed and everyone joined in with the small section of lyrics. But even after, the energy didn’t cease as the controversial ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ entered.

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The band walked off again, this time the arena lights flickered on and some bodies shuffled out. Though it hadn’t quite struck 11pm, The Prodigy had officially finished their set. Perhaps an antic to leave fans with an insatiable desire for more or that they’d be back again in a few years to pick up where they left off. Liam reappeared onstage to hand guitar picks and setlists to the VIPs in front.

I filed out smelling like an old gym sock, touching shoulders with shirtless, sweaty men and scuffing my shoes on plastic beer cups. I was going to wake up the next morning with a minging headache from the punch to the head I sustained during ‘Voodoo People’ and little bruises as battle scars from a successful and immersive experience I had been dreaming of for many years.

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THE PRODIGY

NO TOURISTS

TOUR DATES 

Tickets Here

 

26 January// A.E.C Theatre, Adelaide SA

28 January// Riverstage, Brisbane QLD

1 February// Hisense Arena, Melbourne VIC

2 February // Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney NSW

 

CHECK OUT KAREN LOWE‘S FULL GALLERY OF THE SHOW HERE

Connect with THE PRODIGY

Instagram | Facebook | Website | Twitter | YouTube

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