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

The Prodigy

3 upcoming festivals

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

The Prodigy formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 around producer and keyboardist Liam Howlett, whose tracks grew out of the UK rave and breakbeat hardcore scene. The live incarnation added dancers and vocalists Keith Flint and Maxim, giving an electronic act the presence and confrontational energy of a rock band.

Through the 1990s the group moved from rave tracks toward a harder, guitar-inflected breakbeat sound, and singles including "Firestarter" and "Breathe" made them one of the few dance acts to cross fully into mainstream rock audiences. Keith Flint died in 2019; Howlett and Maxim have continued to perform. The live show remains built on volume, distorted breakbeats and pace.

rave-punkelectronicelectronic-punkbig beatbig-beat