A fantastic Sunday watching The Prodigy at Wythenshawe Park

The Prodigy brought their Warrior’s Dance mini-tour to Manchester

It was probably the messiest gig that this author had ever experienced.

Author | Liam C

Venue | Wythenshawe Park

Let's have a closer look at a full day party near Manchester Airport

Despite being relatively low down the line-up, Scarlxrd’s popularity and reputation for hard-hitting rap-metal shows were fully justified by his 25-minute set on Wythenshawe Park’s main stage. The crowd may have been small due to his early slot, but it erupted the moment he appeared on stage. Circle pits quickly opened up, prompting the West Midlands artist to declare: “Manchester is fu*king mental”, while his DJ added: “It’s a fu**ing honour to be here.”

¥ØU$UK€ then appeared to a great reception. The rain then followed...

The sight of thousands of people scrambling to pull on ponchos and seek shelter was something to behold, while the weather’s ferocity persisted throughout Andy C’s drum and bass set. When the downpour finally eased, albeit only momentarily, the legendary DJ Carl Cox took to the decks. The summery house music may have been washed away by the weather, but Cox’s jungle and breakbeat selections injected fresh energy into the Wythenshawe Park crowd.

Amid all the chaos, there was also a second stage, designed by the team behind Glastonbury’s Arcadia, where DJs including Not Bad For A Girl, Egg on Toast, Pablogyal, Vxrgo and Lucidik delivered sets beneath an imposing, bug-shaped structure.

It was then time for the headliner.

The last time I saw these icons was at the Warehouse Project. It was every bit as loud and brash as expected, but my friend and I made the wise decision to stand on the edge of the main crowd. 

This time, I was determined to get into the mosh pit and become one of the sardines. It seemed much more feasible at a huge outdoor concert.

The gig at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester was sold out, with the capacity probably somewhere close to 30,000, but there was still plenty of room to bounce, dance and generally lose yourself in the chaos.

This blurry picture sums up the vibe more than most

The whole night was a glorious assault of light, sound and spectacle. 

Maxim proved himself a rousing frontman, doing a fine job of cheerleading, or perhaps more accurately cheer-threatening, a thoroughly soggy crowd. I would have liked Liam to be more front and centre on occasions.

The Prodigy have so many hits in their catalogue that closing the show with every one would be impossible, so Firestarter was brought forward for an early outing. Anarchic anthems Roadblox, Get Your Fight On and Their Law ushered in the closing stages of the main set, before Smack My Bi*ch Up ended it with another blast of chaos.

Breathe and Take Me to the Hospital opened the encore, with the crowd’s frenzied response carrying through to Warrior’s Dance, the track that gave the tour its name. “This is the fourth one of the year, many more will come,” Maxim declared, prompting the loudest cheers of the night.

‘Out of Space’, as ever, was the final song, with the group departing to the sounds of *Invaders Must Die* b-side ‘The Big Gundown’, better known to fans as ‘Comanche’ thanks to Maxim’s chants during its previous live performances.