Fatboy Slim’s genre hopping Acid Ballroom tour hits Manchester
Fatboy Slim celebrates 40 years in his career with a double-night residency at Aviva Studios.
Photo: Press
A humbling four decades atop the dance music pyramid has done little to dull Fatboy Slim’s progressive edge or cultural weight in EDM’s ever-growing reach.
As the pioneer and most visible advocate for the breakthrough of the big beat EDM sound in the 1990s, Norman Cook instantly claimed cultural phenomenon status with the acclaimed You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby, spawning singles: Praise You, The Rockafeller Skank and Right Here, Right Now.
At the time, Cook’s technique felt chaotic on the surface, thriving on sets built by heavy breakbeats and synth hooks, using repetitive samples to ultimately form a sound that’s unique but structurally precise. Where many of his fellow artists struggled in the trend-chasing shift of the digital age, Cook demonstrated a rare understanding of pop culture’s transient attention cycle, rewiring the possibilities of mainstream EDM.
Rather than resist the rise of newer branches of EDM, Cook reframed his catalogue to incorporate these contemporary subsets of his original sound, ultimately forming a musical identity shaped by an instinctual longevity.
Sporting his signature Hawaiian shirt, Cook took the stage and immediately sparked a riot within the crowd with the scratchy piano chords of chart-topper Praise You, while live shots of the audience filled the screen behind him.
Any sense of judgment or reservation faded with fans of all generations reliving the highs of their youth, while the younger, rave-ready new generation moved with the same instinct, ultimately caught up in the sheer spectacle of what was about to occur.
It’s undeniable that Fatboy Slim’s sound transcends generations as he signifies an artist whose music is endlessly passed down and influential. High off the Praise You snippet, Cook treated fans to a seamless blend into Danzel’s classic, hypnotic house anthem, Put Your Hand Up (In The Air) and what occurred next can be left to imagination.
Fatboy Slim doesn’t just prioritise music; he treats the visual aspect of his shows with equal importance, employing confetti cannons, strobe lights and immersive background visuals to make the sound a full sensory experience. He embraces the innovative and controversial use of AI as a creative tool, elevating his live performances with trippy, almost comically absurd imagery.
During the bass-heavy, spoken-word track Role Model, AI-generated projections of cultural icons like Prince and Andy Warhol lip sync the lyrics “I’m not a role model,” creating a deliberate contrast between their legendary status and the message. This signature wit fills the set, whether through his compulsive squeezing of a red horn or teasing the audience about the next track, he extends this playful irrationality to the music itself, blending seemingly incompatible songs with effortless skill.
For Fatboy Slim, the impossible is merely another opportunity for unpredictability and endless entertainment, as shown with his somehow seamless mix of Underworld’s Born Slippy with The Killers’ Mr. Brightside.
Norman Cook exemplifies showmanship at its finest as Fatboy Slim, seamlessly adapting to the modern era by blending nostalgic hits with contemporary mashups, all while delivering an engaging live experience.
Slower classics like Groove Armada’s I See You Baby are transformed through Cook’s unpredictable mixing, seamlessly transitioning into high-energy tracks like Eat Sleep Rave Repeat, instantly shifting the mood and keeping the audience engaged. These intentional mashups highlight Cook’s skill and artistry, almost serving as a live lesson in longevity and the legacy of an artist.
While the predictability of a Fatboy Slim set is anchored in his iconic classics, Cook injects the show with a range of house mixes, splitting opinion with tracks evolving into extended, hypnotic bangers, while others feel like deliberate filler, guiding fans toward the climactic finale of Praise You and Rockafeller Skank.
Fatboy Slim proves that four decades in the spotlight have done little to diminish Norman Cook’s creative edge or showmanship. By seamlessly blending classic hits with contemporary mashups, immersive visuals and playful absurdity, he continually reinvents the live EDM experience. The result was a thrilling collision of nostalgia and contemporary energy, a musical moment breaking the mould of being timeless and immediate, reaffirming Cook’s status as a pioneer whose influence and unpredictability continue to captivate audiences across generations.
