Braintree, UK · rave-punk · electronic · electronic-punk · big beat

The Prodigy

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Firestarters, still — the UK's rave-punk institution hits harder than bands half their age, three decades of menace intact.

The Prodigy came together in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 around producer and keyboardist Liam Howlett, who had been working in rave and breakbeat hardcore. He recruited dancers Keith Flint and Leeroy Thornhill, later joined by MC and lead vocalist Maxim, turning an electronic project into a live act built around confrontation and physical presence rather than a DJ booth.

Early singles 'Charly' and 'Everybody in the Place' reached the UK top five in 1991, and the 1992 debut album Experience cemented the group's rave roots. Music for the Jilted Generation, released in 1994, pushed the sound toward harder, guitar-inflected breakbeat and marked a deliberate move away from straightforward rave.

The Fat of the Land, released in 1997, went to number one in sixteen countries including the UK and US, driven by the singles 'Firestarter' and 'Breathe'. A third single, 'Smack My Bitch Up', became a UK top ten hit and drew heavy controversy over its video and lyrics.

Leeroy Thornhill left the band in 2000. Keith Flint died in 2019, leaving Howlett and Maxim to carry the group forward; they returned to touring after a hiatus. The live show has stayed built on volume, distorted breakbeats and pace.

The Prodigy have sold an estimated 25 million records worldwide, including more than 4.7 million albums in the UK, and have scored seven consecutive UK number one albums. They have won two Brit Awards for Best British Dance Act, three MTV Video Music Awards, five MTV Europe Music Awards, and received two Grammy nominations.

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