Friday, 5/30/97 Charisma, stage antics make Prodigy sparkle
MUSIC: British techno band kicks off U.S. tour with aggressive
sound
By Trinh Bui Daily Bruin Contributor Label them "the hope" or
"the hype" of the music industry, but after a frenzied set at the
Mayan Theater, Prodigy’s next label might be "superstars." For the
past few years, Prodigy has become established as a big-time band
in their native England, playing huge festivals with traditional
guitar bands like Oasis and Blur. Now with good- old England under
their belts, the British bad boys of electronica begin a crossover
campaign in the United States. Wednesday night’s gig brought
together a diverse Los Angeles mob of hip-hoppers, rock ‘n’ rollers
and techno fanatics to the Mayan. Prodigy put on a tightly
orchestrated show with loud beats and louder vocals. Breaking away
from passive electronic acts, Prodigy’s amazingly wild stage
presence added another dimension to the show, marking their
transition from basic electronica to rock ‘n’ roll. DJ Jason
Bentley, Southern California’s electronica aficionado, warmed up
the standing-room only affair with some deejaying. With a huge
crowd packed tightly on a small dance floor, it didn’t take much
for the club to transform into a convection oven. Primed and
preheated, the crowd anxiously buzzed for the start of the show.
Liam Howlett graced the stage first with his spiky dyed blond hair.
The shy genius behind the sound and words of Prodigy took to the
background, caged up in a stack of keyboards and sampling machines.
He started the show with a mellow bass mix that lasted a minute
before everything hit the fan and the two emcees, Maxim Reality and
the "face" of Prodigy, Keith Flint, exploded onto the stage.
Flint’s attire for the night included his trademark blue and red
side-hawks and soccer hooligan outfit, while Reality strutted
around bare-chested in a velvet kilt. Kicking off the concert with
"Smack My Bitch Up," a new song from their upcoming record, Reality
ranted and raved on the microphone behind a cacophony of sampled
music and keyboards while Flint darted around the stage mouthing
the lyrics and working the crowd. Even without the microphone,
Flint mesmerized the people with his plethora of onstage antics.
Flint is the consummate showman, be it leaning over the stage and
egging on the crowd with taunts and the occasional finger or diving
into the mosh pit. For all the glitz and fireworks that is Flint,
Reality used his words and emcee skills to incite the crowd. The
polar opposite to Flint’s hyperactive mannerism, Reality is
controlled fury. He sets the tempo during the show and does most of
his grandstanding with his words rather than action. The more
paternal of the two, Reality takes time out during the performance
to give props to Howlett, Leeroy Thornhill, the dancer, and the
L.A. crowd. Reality handled most of the shouting for the night but
occasionally relinquished the microphone to Flint, who in turn let
the air out of his lungs. The break-beat sounds of Prodigy fully
blasted out of the speakers, giving everyone within a mile radius
temporary tinnitus. People went berserk when classics like "Poison"
and "Breathe" flowed through the sound system. The floor quickly
turned into a mosh pit, as sweaty bodies slipped and slid their way
around each other. The shear charisma of Prodigy alone got people
riled up and showed why these fellows from Braintree, England,
could reign supreme over America. Equipped with two firebrands
covering the vocals and a James Brown-worshipping dancer, Prodigy
doesn’t shy away from the stage. Unlike fellow compatriots the
Chemical Brothers and Orbital, who substitute choreographed
lighting and visual effects for their lack of stage presence,
Prodigy attacks the stage with kinetic dance moves and integrates
the audience into the show. Howlett has been adamant in the press
that his band is moving away from the electronica scene and into
the rock ‘n’ roll genre. Backing up his words, Prodigy’s play list
definitely leaned away from techno. Songs lasted no more than six
minutes, and each was composed with a distinct chorus and song
structure. Eliminated from the concert were the wispy 10 minute-
plus ramblings of noise usually characteristic of a techno show.
Prodigy’s appearance at the Mayan Theater indicates the band is
dropping the glowsticks and white gloves of the rave scene for the
retro-punk look. Ending the show with a 15-minute encore when Flint
rode the backs of adoring fans back to the stage, Prodigy, for at
least the night, lived up to their billing as the Next Big Thing.
GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin Maxim Reality of Prodigy brought down
the house with a show that combined the charisma of rock with the
driving rhythms of techno. Related Links:Prodigy Page