31 December 2013 (gig)
22 January 2014
The Prodigy welcomed London into 2014 with a magnetic set at London’s O2 arena. With an incredible lead up from various famed DJs the night was set to be one to remember from the beginning.
The packed up O2 arena is without a doubt one of the liveliest venues to be in on New Years Eve. Even travelling to the venue on the underground felt like a walk back in time, with broken bottles being flung down escalators; it was sure to be a wild night. I have only seen the band at festivals previous to this night and was initially unsure if the free vibes would be felt in a more corporate and stricter venue.
Before twelve the audience raved to several classic DJS including Rudimental DJs, Jaguar Skills, north London dubstep-rock band Modestep and ‘Godfather of rave’ Slipmatt. As Big Ben’s live chime rang out across the arena The Prodigy exploded onto the stage, initially playing older tracks, a feature of the night that really hyped up the young audience in anticipation of the band’s post ‘Fat of the Land’ material.
A stand out track for me was ‘Experience’s’ ‘Out of Space’, where impressive bass was synched with an incredible lightshow to create an incredible New Year spectacle. As far as the general atmosphere was concerned, I could not have had more wrong preconceptions. Inside the venue, despite it’s outwardly formal appearance, thrived a community of individuals, each bringing in the New Year with whole-hearted partying.
This has been my third opportunity to see The Prodigy live, and I’m sure it won’t be the last, for these veterans of electronic rave music only seem to get better.
