The Prodigy
When: 15th April 2026
Location: OVO Hydro
The Prodigy are the pioneering giants of electronica. Coming to Glasgow’s OVO Hydro on 15th April 2026.
The Prodigy began, appropriately, at a rave. Keyboardist and songwriter Liam Howlett was DJing the event in 1989, when vocalist and dancer Keith Flint approached him to ask for a mixtape of his material. He received a cassette of Howlett’s songs with the word ‘Prodigy’ scratched into the side. Flint shared the cassette with keyboardist Leeroy Thornhill, and together with vocalist Maxim and vocalist and dancer Sharky, the five of them formed the Prodigy.
The group soon signed with XL Recordings and released their first EP, What Evil Lurks, in 1991. However, it wasn’t until the release of their debut single later that same year that they found mainstream success. In ‘Charly’ they sampled dialogue from animated films, starting a trend that critics disparagingly referred to as ‘kiddie rave’. The critics may not have been convinced, but the sound was growing increasingly popular amongst ravers. When the Prodigy released their debut album Experience in 1992, it was a definite commercial success.
Creating their second LP
Despite their flying start, the group made the decision to distance themselves from kiddie rave when creating their second LP. This decision paid off, as Music For The Jilted Generation not only went to number one but earned them a Mercury Music Prize nomination. Their next five albums all went to number one in the UK, with their third album, The Fat Of The Land, also landing at the top of the charts in the US, Australia, and much of Europe. Whilst their popularity was undeniable, the band were cautious of steering too much into the mainstream attention. They refused to perform on TV save for one appearance in 1991, and were determined that their commercial success would never come at a cost to the music they produced.
After the tragic death of Flint in 2019, the band went on hiatus. They were clear, however, that this break would not be an indefinite one and stressed that they intended to continue making music together. Liam Howlett and Maxim returned to the road in July 2022 to mark the 25th anniversary of Fat Of The Land. The Prodigy later announced a full UK tour for November 2023.
2026 marked another major comeback for The Prodigy. The iconic electronic punks announced a massive arena tour which includes two dates at London’s OVO Wembley Arena, Manchester’s Co-op Live, The SSE Arena in Belfast and many more, OVO Hydro, Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, the Utilita Arena in both Birmingham and Cardiff, BIC in Bournemouth and Leeds’ First Direct Arena, with techno titan Carl Cox revealed as the special guest support for all dates.
