Keith Flint

Keith Flint
Flint in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Keith Charles Flint
Born	(1969-09-17) 17 September 1969 Redbridge, London, England
Genres	Electronica, electronic rock, big beat, breakbeat, electropunk, hardcore techno, alternative rock, industrial rock

Keith Charles Flint (born 17 September 1969) is an English singer and dancer, best known as the vocalist for the band The Prodigy. Flint performed the lead vocals on both of The Prodigy's number one singles - "Firestarter" and "Breathe" - which were released in 1996. More recently he has had success as a motorcycle racing team owner and manager - with his Team Traction Control winning three Isle of Man TT races in 2015 and competing in the British Supersport Championship running Yamaha YZF-R6 motorcycles.

Early life

Flint was born in Redbridge, London, England, to Clive and Yvonne Flint and initially raised in East London; in the mid-1970s his parents moved out to Springfield, Essex. Keith attended the Boswells School in Chelmsford and moved to Braintree after leaving school and travelling where he eventually met Liam Howlett at local rave club the Barn in Braintree.

Music career

In the late 1980s Flint met DJ Liam Howlett in a rave club and expressed his appreciation of Howlett's taste in music. After receiving a mixtape from Howlett, Flint came back with great enthusiasm, insisting that Howlett should be playing his tracks up on stage, and that Flint, along with friend Leeroy Thornhill, would dance to them.

Originally Flint was the band's dancer, but in 1996 he featured as the vocalist on the hit single "Firestarter". The accompanying video showcased Flint's new punk look. This trend continued with the next Prodigy single "Breathe", on which Flint performed the lead vocals, whilst Maxim performed backup. The 1997 album The Fat of the Land featured Flint's vocal contributions to several tracks, namely "Breathe", "Serial Thrilla", "Fuel My Fire" and "Firestarter". In 2002 the single "Baby's Got a Temper" was released. On the next Prodigy album, Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (2004), Flint did not perform any vocals, although he did appear on the "Hotride – El Batori Mix," on the "Hotride" single.

Flint and live guitarist Rob Holliday

The Prodigy album, Invaders Must Die, was released on 23 February 2009 and featured vocals by Flint on multiple tracks, including "Take Me to the Hospital", "Omen", "World's On Fire", "Run with the Wolves" and "Colours". Flint released a single titled "War" with dubstep artist Caspa in 2012.

Flint has experimented with several solo/side projects, including the bands Flint and Clever Brains Fryin'. Only one single, "Aim4" by Flint, was released commercially, with Flint's debut album, Device #1, being cancelled before release.

Personal life

Flint dated TV presenter Gail Porter before she married Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave, moving in together in a house in Essex. They were known as 'Beauty and the Beast' due to differences in their appearance. The couple split in 2000, because it was too far away for Porter to commute on a daily basis for her work in the city and their relationship was not working out. Flint is married to Mayumi Kai, who is a Japanese DJ.

During the late 1990s, when The Prodigy were at their commercial peak, Flint became known in the UK press for his extensive body piercing and tattooing. In an interview, he stated that his most painful tattoo was the text "Inflicted" across his stomach. He stated that it felt like he was on an altar being ritualistically scarred by a Satanic beast. The tattoo was designed by bandmate Liam Howlett.

In 2014, he bought and renovated The Leather Bottle pub in Pleshey, Essex.

Motorcycle racing

Flint is a keen motorcyclist. He rode the 1500 miles from Britain to Southern Spain to attend the 2007 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix, and also races in club competitions. He is known to have ridden with Lee Thompson of the band Madness. He now has his own motorcycle team, 'Team Traction Control' which competes in the British Supersport Championship as part of the British Superbike Championship package. In 2015 Team Traction Control machines won two Isle of Man TT races, ridden by Ian Hutchinson.

Discography

Studio albums with The Prodigy

• The Fat of the Land (1997)
• Invaders Must Die (2009)
• The Day Is My Enemy (2015)

Studio albums with Flint

• Device #1 (2003)

See also

• "Keith Flint Personal/Motorbiking Website". Retrieved 29 June 2011.
• "TheProdigy.info » Prodigy members / Keith Flint". Retrieved 5 May 2007.
• "Weird Al prodigy parody". Retrieved 17 March 2008.

External links

• Keith Flint at IMDb