2026.08.29 – Royal Highland Showgrounds, Edinburgh, Scotland

Date: 29th August 2026
Event: Warrior’s Dance Festival
Venue: Royal Highland Showgrounds
City: Edinburgh
Country: Scotland
Support: see timetable

Tracklist:
1. Omen
2. Voodoo People
3. Poison
4. Need Someone
5. Light Up The Sky
6. Wind It Up
7. Firestarter
8. Invaders Must Die
9. Beyond the Deathray
10. No Good (Start The Dance)
11. Roadblox
12. Get Your Fight On
13. Their Law
14. Smack My Bitch Up
Encore
15. Breathe
16. Take Me To The Hospital
17. Warrior’s Dance
18. Out Of Space
19. Comanche

Extra info:

Timetable:
16:00 doors
16:50 David Rodigan
17:55 Scarlxrd
18:25 Yousuke Yukimatsu
19:25 Carl Cox
21:00 The Prodigy

Review by Kerry Steyn, www.rockdocumented.com:
Since the early 90’s, the Prodigy have dominated the UK EDM scene with their unique punk-rave-rock sound and they continue to perform with an almost unnatural intensity even 30 years on – Edinburgh’s Summer Sessions show kept the passion going and the band once again brought the fire to their fans with their “Warrior’sDance” tour.
It’s also one of the only gigs where you’ll see old-school ravers mixing it with moshers in the middle, with a range of generations joining in too. The band revel in it, and the energy from each member is absorbed by the crowd. Living up to his Master of Ceremonies title, Maxim is undoubtedly the face of The Prodigy. Shouting out to all his warriors in the audience, he slows things down slightly when he spots some people getting a bit too intense in the mosh pit. “The only violence here tonight will be up on the stage” he tells them and keeps things on the low until the offenders get themselves sorted.
The power of the performance is elevated even further by an incredible light and laser show, which takes on a poignant moment during “Firestarter” – a song featuring Keith Flint, their iconic dancer and occasional vocalist who made the song his signature tune. Keith tragically passed in 2019, and to be honest I wasn’t sure how I’d feel hearing it live without him, but a new interpretation of the hit plays instrumentally whilst lasers project an image of his distinctive outline dancing along. It brings another dimension to it whilst honouring his legacy. Then it’s back to the 90’s with “No Good (Start The Dance)”, written as a middle finger to the British Government who classed underground rave culture as dangerous – and it still hits today.
The last song of the main set is the one they themselves call their anthem, “Smack My Bitch Up”, and although the title is controversial the reaction to it is visceral – Maxim urging everyone to get low during the haunting female vocal bridge, then watching as everyone jumps euphorically when the hook kicks back in. The encore was just as frenetic as the previous 70 minutes, with “Breathe”, “Take Me to the Hospital”, “Warrior’s Dance”, “Out of Space” and “Comanche”. It was an exhausting, exhilarating and euphoric set and the perfect end to the Summer Session series of gigs across Glasgow and Edinburgh this summer. Watching people in their late teens walk away hugging 50-somethings and all dancing off to make their way home, the power of The Prodigy and their dance is just as strong as it was all those years ago.

Review by Axelle, www.moshville.co.uk:
On Saturday, 29th August, the Royal Highland Showgrounds turned into a massive open-air rave. The last Summer Session was dedicated to electronic music – an ode to the genre’s history and its newest and brightest contributions.
David Rodigan, one of the most recognised promoters of reggae and Jamaican music and culture, kicked off the party. He smoothly transitioned between tracks, often hitting the most famous ones such as Lauryn Hill and the Fugees’ “Ready or Not” and Max Romeo’s “Chase the Devil”. Rodigan joked that “some will think that this is cultural appropriation”, a debate he often brushes off by stating his “cultural appreciation”. I would argue, however, that this question should be taken more seriously, especially as it is an issue that comes up regularly enough for him to be joking about it on stage.
Now, Rodigan’s work to celebrate Jamaican music is not to be minimised – certainly not in the UK, as he was and remains instrumental in disseminating and supporting Jamaican culture, notably through his BBC radio show. He also received the Order of Distinction from the Jamaican Prime Minister – a sign that his work as a promoter of Jamaican music is well recognised and appreciated, and that he is not just considered a British DJ using Jamaican voices solely for his own profit. However, for someone so committed to supporting others, his set in Edinburgh would have perhaps benefited from inviting up-and-coming Jamaican musicians or vocalists on stage. After all, he admitted in an interview: “We should never forget that most DJs are the end of the food chain.” Between cultural appropriation and appreciation there is only a fine line, constantly evolving and reshaped by contemporary discussions. So perhaps, much like any artist, there comes a time to rethink, re-evaluate, and recalibrate one’s support without erasing or diminishing past inputs.
Scarlxrd (pronounced Scar Lord) stormed onto the main Summer Sessions stage. Scarlxrd is a dynamic duo made up of Marius Lucas Antonio Listhrop (lead vocals) and Jake Parker (DJ). They blend genres – rap and metal mostly – with gripping electronic beats. It was clear from the beginning that both of them were here to have a blast and warm the crowd up: a successful mission, as the first moshpits of the evening formed and the crowd’s cheers grew louder.
Their setlist included tracks such as “BXILING PXINT”, “The Walking Dead”, and “Miss Me?”. Listhrop’s vocal range was quite impressive; from classic hip-hop rhymes to metal growls, he could do them all. Unfortunately, he was let down by the sound system, which cut the audio from his microphone every now and then. Despite these technological issues, his energy was contagious: he was glowing throughout the set, jumping around and being very relatable as he complained about knee pain. Parker is definitely wilder: when not behind his turntables, he tried to copulate with anything and everything on stage and acted as a backup dancer. Scarlxrd have a sizeable following on social media after an almost decade-long career. Yet, they are an act that shouldn’t just be watched behind a small screen; their live performance is well worth seeing.
Next up was Yosuke Yukimatsu, a wizard of electronic music who gained international accolades for his Boiler Room set in Tokyo in 2024, despite DJing since the early 2010s. Yukimatsu achieved an exceptional balance between each carefully chosen track: between melodic beats and heavy drops, and between classical inspirations and contemporary dance music. For his transitions, he used a mashup mixing method, where two songs are played at full volume and blend into one another. He played his most well-known mix: Locked Club’s “Kuliki” mashing into The Prodigy’s “Firestarter”. He also covered Skrillex, Jamie xx, and Opus III. During his hour-long performance, Yukimatsu’s only interaction with the crowd was when he waved goodbye; otherwise, he was hyper-focused, enjoying his set, and occasionally looking up at the demented crowd. In all fairness, there was no need for him to advocate for his set or warm up the audience. His talent spoke for itself, and everyone was loving it. A prodigy in action, if bad puns can be tolerated.
The legendary Carl Cox took the stage at 7:25 pm: “I’ll take you on a history journey from back in the days right up to The Prodigy.” Class was in session. Cox played cuts such as T99’s “Anasthasia (Out of History Mix)”, U96’s “Night in Motion”, Bizarre Inc’s “Playing with Knives”, Quadrophonia’s eponymous track, Rotterdam Termination Source’s “Poing”, Liquid’s “Sweet Harmony”, and Xpansions’ “Move Your Body”. He also introduced The Prodigy by dropping “Your Love” and “Narayan”. Someone in the audience was wearing a “Fuck off and keep dancing” t-shirt – that pretty much summed up the spirit as an impromptu dance competition took place. A faultless set by a master DJ.
Finally, at 9:00 pm sharp, the warriors’ dance began. The Prodigy started off their 20-song set with “Omen”. The crowd went wild. Time has passed since Keith Flint’s passing, and both Maxim and Liam Howlett have managed what was deemed unthinkable back in 2019: continuing to perform live for older and newer Prodigy fans alike.
Flint was everywhere, though. Among the audience, some dressed up or wore wigs in his honour, while others wore pieces of clothing sporting his face. On stage, almost mid-set, the band paid him a touching tribute: his iconic silhouette was lasered onto the screens as “Firestarter” aired. Maxim, standing to the side with his hands behind his back, let Flint’s voice fill the Showgrounds. It wasn’t meant simply as a nostalgic moment; instead, and much like the rest of their performance, it was a celebration.
After “Omen”, The Prodigy played “Voodoo People”, during which the moshpit grew exponentially in size and speed. As Maxim noted: “We don’t do fucking violence here, but those motherfuckers in the middle…” “Poison” was queued up next, and Leo Crabtree’s talent was on full display as he ended the track with a manic drum solo. “The Day Is My Enemy”, “Light Up the Sky”, and “Wind It Up” followed; no band member showed any sign of slowing down. After “Firestarter”, the band performed “Invaders Must Die”, during which the massive stage guns slowly turned towards the crowd and began blasting lasers. Maxim stepped down from the stage and into the pit, asking the crowd to clap along. Everything went dark – only for a second – as “Beyond the Deathray” began.
The Prodigy took it up a notch with “No Good (Start the Dance)”, “Roadblox”, “Get Your Fight On”, and “Their Law”. Maxim kept rousing the pit: “This is where it gets rowdy, all my troublemakers. All the weak get to the side.” The core set ended with the “fucking anthem, the Prodigy anthem!” – “Smack My Bitch Up”. During the bridge, Maxim ordered the crowd to get down; he had to request it a couple more times, as the ravers seemed to have reached that point in the party where slight executional delays are common. They had enough energy, though, to rise again and jump throughout the final chorus.
The encore served as a definitive summary of The Prodigy’s iconic career: “Breathe”, “Take Me to the Hospital”, “Warrior’s Dance”, “Out of Space”, and finally “Comanche”. The Prodigy certainly remain at the very top of their game.
The last Edinburgh Summer Session turned into a massive rave party. The crowd was in the safest hands possible thanks to a lineup of iconic DJs and live acts. As with every great party, there were those who couldn’t pace themselves, those who breached the rules, and those who got lost, but mainly, there were thousands having an absolute blast, dancing and singing their hearts away. It was very much an epic end to a summer of live music at the Showgrounds.

Poster: