A TRIBUTE band from Southam will ‘keep flying the flag’ in honour of Prodigy singer Keith Flint.
The dance music pioneer, who sang on the group’s chart-topping hits Firestarter and Breathe – was found dead at his home in Essex on Monday prompting a flood of tributes from those in the music world.
The 49-year-old’s death stunned local five-piece tribute band Jilted Generation, who for the past 14 years have cemented their place internationally as the top tribute act to the Prodigy, playing in Belgium, Dubai and Germany.
Royle Fitzwilliam – who performs as frontman Keith – said: “It was such a shock when I found out. I still can’t believe it.
“The guys in The Prodigy represent power and pride of work and we felt they would live forever. In in our hearts they will.
“We will continue flying the flag in his honour, but with more power because our legendary soldier is no more on earth but embedded in us forever.
“Thanks for the memories and power Keith Flint.”
The tribute act say the death of Keith – the only band member they never met – is even more poignant as it happened on what would have been Jilted Generation’s ‘birthday’.
The band, who named themselves after the Prodigy’s second album, played their first show at a pub in Southam on March 4, 2005 – a day which they often celebrate as it saw the start of their success story.
But Royle said the day would forever now have a different meaning after also being the day the Prodigy frontman took his own life.
As a mark of respect the tribute band cancelled tomorrow’s (Friday) show in Stoke.
But say they have been inundated with promoters trying to book them, which they have been turning down as it ‘does not feel right’.
The tribute band formed 14 years ago, made up of a group of ‘superfans’.
Royle says he was hooked on The Prodigy’s catchy tunes as soon as he watched Firestarter performed on Top of the Pops when he was just ten-years-old.
He told the Observer: “Watching that performance was life-changing.
“It became an obsession, with the help of magic and fate to create our band.
“To follow in the footsteps of Keith Flint is not to be taken lightly, the man just never seemed to disappoint and every live Prodigy show was full of energy, wall shaking chaos, indescribable rave rock madness.
“He was highly influential. The performance, the look, everything that embodied the whole package was untouchable and completely original. The terms of his death are unthinkable and will always remain a mystery as to ‘why’?”
