The Prodigy: “Social media is turning music into fast food”

In the immediate years following the devastating loss of The Prodigy’s ferocious, force of nature frontman Keith Flint in 2019, both remaining members Liam Howlett and Maxim weren’t sure they could continue. “It was a feeling of totally devastation… shell shocked… I didn’t know what the fuck was going on. For months I didn’t care or even know what day it was,” recalls Liam Howlett. 

In 2022, after much anxiety and soul-searching, they tentatively booked a small tour to test the waters of whether a comeback felt right, or even possible. “That first night - the first gig without Keef - walking onto the stage I can tell you I have never felt so scared…” says Liam. “I don’t ever get nervous on stage, but this was something so emotionally charged.” 

As they tend to when The Prodigy are involved, the shows went off. And though grief is firmly one of the emotions in that charged atmosphere he refers to, bringing The Prodigy and their fanbase back together brought many more positive feelings to the fore — love, support, camaraderie, and, of course, all-out rave ruckus joy. “When we play live now, and I'll try and explain this, the band feels like it somehow has an extra level of emotional depth and connection to the people,” Liam says. “And I don’t want that to sound like some hippy shit.” 

Anyone who's caught The Prodigy in recent years will instantly get what he means. The shows feel elemental — limbs and heartstrings being tugged in all directions amidst a cauldron of blistering beats and peaking passion. Their return to Glastonbury this summer was the highlight of the weekend, not only sending the Somerset field wild, but even having the hardiest homebodies twitching with hype and FOMO in their armchairs in front of the BBC broadcast. They’ve also returned to the likes of Australia, the US and Japan for the first time in five, seven and ten years respectively in a globe-trotting tear-up that's probably knocked the planet askew on its axis. 

The numbers confirm it: The Prodigy are more in-demand than ever. An upcoming arena tour in the UK and Ireland scheduled for April next year became their fastest-ever sold-out run of shows, and they’re already looking ahead with another four massive Warriors Dance events scheduled in summer in Dublin, Milton Keynes, Edinburgh and Manchester, with heavyweight support acts in Carl Cox, Andy C, ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U, David Rodigan and Scarlxrd locked in. 

Ahead of the shows, we caught up with Liam Howlett who shared some forthright opinions on nostalgia, AI and social media, and spoke about the emotional impact of losing Keith Flint and carrying on as a band. He also confirmed new Prodigy music will come out next year, for the first time since their 2018 album ‘No Tourists’. Read all below.

I was just looking through the list of UK Number One album artists in 1997 when you topped the charts with your best-selling album ‘The Fat Of The Land’. A lot of the artists on there are still thriving like yourselves this year: there’s Oasis comeback mania, a Bob Dylan Hollywood biopic, Bon Jovi announcing endless Wembley shows due to “unprecedented demand”, Björk releasing a concert film, collabing with Rosalía and being generally idolised by contemporary innovators. What are your memories of that year, did it feel particularly interesting and exciting musically? 

Well aren’t I fucking lucky… I'm on the same artist list as Bon Jovi…… 

Looking back, the '90s was a vibrant time in the UK, a musically free-er time, pre social media shit… There was a lot of different music happening and people were happy to take it all in. 

1997 specifically was a mad time for us when ‘The Fat Of The Land’ dropped, but it had been full on from when we started in '91. It was building with each album, getting bigger and leading up to the release of that album. I hate going on about nostalgia, but it was an exciting and interesting time, not only for British music but for art. The UK was ruling it in the '90s.

Why do you think a lot of these artists who emerged in the '90s are still resonating so strongly? 

Well, if something was good back then, it will still resonate strongly today. You can’t fool the youth! A killer tune, whenever it was written, will always be a killer tune. That's my view anyway.

There is some kind of attraction towards the '90s goin on at the moment though, I know this because I talk to my son about it and the bands and music he listens to on Spotify. He’s 21 and he doesn’t listen to hardly any new music…

Read this next: Uncontrollable energy: 'The Fat Of The Land' is still a life-changing album

Are there recent evolutions or aspects of music today that excite you? And on the other hand, are there things that concern you? 

Yeah, the main thing that concerns me is making sure my beats bang. There are artists and tunes I hear today that buzz me yeah, but the problem is they mostly don’t hang around long enough, there seems to be less time and patience now for artists to develop. It's social media again to blame, turning music into like fast food… Quick in and gone….Next… 

What are your views on AI and its impact/use within music? Would you ever use it?

A good mate, who is a well-known producer/DJ is all over this AI shit, he's been fucking with it for a while. Mainly on the visual side… Seeing how far he can push it. The stuff he showed me blew my mind, some mad shit.

Me personally, as far as using AI for music, I much prefer putting my brain through the ‘sometimes’ pain and torture of hand building the tune myself. Some tunes feel like I'm carving them out of stone sometimes because they take so long, but at least I know I did it myself…. Know what I mean? 

You’ve just announced four huge outdoor shows for next summer, which will follow a fastest-ever selling arena tour in spring. How does it feel to see such a strong appetite for The Prodigy live shows three decades-plus into your career?

Yeah we can’t wait to do these gigs. We got much love and respect for all the people who have followed us and taken time to come out to see us play over the years, especially the support from all the fans when we lost Keef, we can really feel that. 

So in April we are hitting our UK arena tour, then we will be bringing our four Warriors Dance outdoor shows back in the summer which will be massive. We always said we will keep shit rolling as long as it feels exciting and fresh to us and the people wanna see us. 

A strong set of support acts are joining for these warriors dance shows: Carl Cox, Andy C, ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U, David Rodigan and Scarlxrd. Is there a unifying factor for these artists that aligns with the sounds and atmosphere you want to curate? 

Well, we really wanted Carl, Andy C and David Rodigan to join us for these Warriors Dance shows because they have all been such important figures of inspiration to us at integral key moments with The Prodigy and personally over the years.

The first time I heard my record being played in a club — Busby’s, next to where the Astoria used to be — it was Carl who was playing it. That was late 1990, our first EP - ‘Everybody In The Place (Original Version)’. I remember walkin through the crowd, going up to the decks to tell him that I made that tune, he shook my hand and gave me respect, that was a big moment for me as a young dude starting out. 

Then a few years back Andy C took on the task of remixing ‘Firestarter’, he smashed it apart, gave it a new angle and made a monster version, it’s one of the best remixes of any of our tunes. I remember when I played it to Keef for the first time in my car, it blew his mind when that bass dropped…. Andy was always Keef’s favourite DJ.

And David Rodigan, I used to listen to him on the radio way before The Prodigy was a thing. Being able to hear all these different rare sounds when I was a teenager had a big influence on me and became part of my make up when writing Prodigy music.

And finally when ¥ØU$UK€ and Scarlxrd agreed to join us for these shows, we knew it felt complete. It means a lot to us they wanted to be part of it, it’s gonna be special. 

Read this next: As the frontman of The Prodigy, Keith Flint delivered a furious new type of dance music

Before 2022 you had a few years of enforced hiatus with the passing of Keith and pandemic. When you were ready to return, did you feel confident you’d come back this strongly? Was there anxiety about moving forward as a group?

After we lost Keef, it was a feeling of totally devastation… shell shocked… I didn’t know what the fuck was going on. For months I didn’t care or even know what day it was. People will understand what I’m saying here who have experienced this kind of loss. I went through every emotion, carried a lot of anger, not even at Keef, but just going mad trying to find answers.

I wouldn’t have got through that time without the support of my family. The band was the last thing on our minds… Me and Maxim would check in with each other, to make sure we were coping, but never to talk about the band. 

Then, it must have been at least two years before we both started talking about the band again and gigs. Was it possible, how, why, do we even wanna do it…? I remember sometimes it being me saying I’m not sure I wanna do it and Maxim saying ‘we can do this’. Then it would switch around where I felt I wanted to try and Maxim wasn’t sure…

We finally decided the only way to know what the fuck to do was to book a small tour and see how we felt. It was the only way to really know. So that's what we did … That first night of that tour -  the first gig without Keef - walking onto the stage I can tell you I have never felt so scared… I don’t ever get nervous on stage, but this was something so emotionally charged. 

We got through that gig with the love and support of our fans, it felt like we had all gone through this together. Which we had. I really don’t know how we got through that tour but we did and we finally had the answer to our question. We knew we had the ability, the want and the reason to carry on.

Do things feel much different or is there a sense of cherishing the past while carrying on and still unleashing that trademark Prodigy chaos?

When we play live now — and I'll try and explain this — the band feels like it somehow has an extra level of emotional depth and connection to the people… And I don’t want that to sound like some hippy shit. I’m just telling you how it feels being on stage playin the tunes, looking at the whites in the people's eyes and their reaction… Uplifting and pure chaos.

The Glastonbury show this summer felt like a real moment, especially after the cancellation of a planned 2019 appearance. You have such a legacy at that festival and it was emotional to see you return. How was it for you?

Playing Glastonbury this year was without doubt one of those Prodigy gigs I will never forget. It was a beautiful sight standing on stage lookin out, the sky turning from twilight to dusk and the crowd descending into pure mayhem. I wanna say massive respect to everybody in that crowd that stayed until Sunday to watch us play. You made it truly special.

Being in the crowd there was next level but it was also quite quickly apparent leaving the festival how many people - new and old - watched it on BBC and were blown away. Were you aware of a huge reception to that performance beyond the field?

I was very aware, mainly because I had a fuck load of texts and emails from literally everybody I know telling me. 

Read this next: The Prodigy at Glastonbury 2025: The rave gods are elemental

You’ve previously expressed views that a livestream could never compare to experiencing a Prodigy show in person, though. What would your message be to people who only saw that on TV ahead of your extensive live tour in 2026?

I still say the same thing. If you’re into our band and want to feel the full sonic attack mode, the chaos and unity of the crowd, you have to see us in the real and come see us live, not on the box.

You’ve been teasing new material is being written for a few years now, and said performing live is your best inspiration. How’s that coming along? Have you been spending much time in the studio and how’s it feeling? Any release plans on the horizon?

People will hear new Prodigy music next year.

What do you hope The Prodigy brings to the musical landscape of today?

Ruckus! Cheers.

Tickets for The Prodigy's Warriors Dance tour are on sale now, get yours here

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Editor & Digital Director, follow him on Twitter