In a decade that was dominated by brit-pop bands such as Blur, Oasis, Pulp and others there was an arguably more alternative and underground scene that was beginning to tear away at the boundaries separating it from mainstream society. A scene that revolved around heavy beats, ravaging and echoing through warehouses and basements into the early hours of the morning. A scene that many would say was dominated by “The Godfathers of Rave”, The Prodigy, and their jet fuelled demon of a frontman, Keith Flint.

Born in Redbridge, London before moving to Essex when he was young. After being expelled from school at 15 he became a roofer and embraced the Acid-house scene of the 80’s. And it was within this scene that he met DJ Liam Howlett at a rave. Flint along with Leeroy Thornhill asked Howlett if they could dance to his songs up on stage and it was in this instance that The Prodigy was born.

If there is one ever-lasting image of the nineties it is that of Keith Flint staring manically into the camera as he dances like he’s having a seizure in an abandoned train tunnel in the video for Firestarter. Keith said in an interview on the set for Firestarter back in 1996 “What do you want? Entertainment, energy, some slammin’ sounds, something to look at, a lot going on, a real close vibe with the audience, or three musicians standing still?” And this, for all intents and purposes, sums up what The Prodigy and Flint were about; Manic, twisted, passionate and having battery acid for blood pumping through their veins. Flint was never really a singer, he was something so much more than that his performance and energy on stage were what got crowds in a frenzy.

But off stage Keith’s persona was totally different, a man who appeared to be a demon could not be further from the truth. All the outpours of messages in remembrance of Keith mention his great sense of humour, craziness and passion for life. “I can’t do something half cooked” Flint said in an interview back in 2013 “I’ve got to do something because I love it and because I’m truly passionate about it”. He was referring to his motorcycle team, Team Traction Control. A team which won back to back Isle of Man TT races in 2015 and 2016.

And it’s this immense personality that is the reason for Flint affecting so many lives. He had done what no-one else in the rave scene had really done before, and that was to give it a face, to bring it kicking, screaming and frenziedly dancing into the mainstream shaking things up. But all in all Flint just loved to perform, and the band cared nothing for the money only just to perform their music. “We never gave a f**k about making money or what people thought” Keith said in an interview back in 2015 with FHM “All we ever wanted was to play our music”.

And really, that’s all that needs to really be said about Keith Flint, he didn’t give a f**k about what people thought, he just wanted to do whatever he wanted, and he did it magnificently.