The Prodigy rant at Mercury Prize

By Georgie Rogers
6 Music News reporter

The Prodigy's Omen won best single prize at the Kerrang! awards

The Prodigy have criticised the prestigious Mercury Prize, accusing it of being too industry-based.

Speaking at the Kerrang! awards in London, the dance band said the prize ignored fans' wishes.

"It's got nothing to do with the public," said Liam Howlett. "It's to do with a panel of people that always opt for the most obscure thing."

The Prodigy were nominated in 1994 for Music for the Jilted Generation, the year pop act M People won the award.

Founding member Howlett laughed as he told BBC 6 Music, "I think we should have been nominated this year", for the band's fifth album, Invaders Must Die.

'Rip it to pieces'

He added that the Mercury Prize should make more effort to include dance music in its shortlist "because that's the type of music that stirs up the emotion".

"It's what kids listen to."

Frontman Keith Flint was less forthcoming with his comments.

"There's a few things that I'm thinking of that I could try and get controversial with, but I'm not going to give that the time," he said.

"I think what's more important to The Prodigy is that, whatever number your album goes in at, or the single, or however many plays it gets, or doesn't get, or awards you get, or don't get; our reward, as a band, is to write the best album we can and then go to Download [festival] and rip it to pieces," he explained.

One album, out of a 12-strong shortlist, is awarded with the Mercury Prize each year.

Last year Elbow were crowned victors with their album, The Seldom Seen Kid.