THE STREETS LIVE AT GLASGOW’S O2 ACADEMY

★★★★☆ (4.5/5)

THE STREETS PERFORMING AT GLASGOW’S O2 ACADEMY
PHOTOCREDIT: PAUL STORR

Early noughties was a weird time for music. There was lull in quality acts that would see small hidden gems lost in waves of over-polished, shiny glass. The Streets defied the standards of the time to become an act with longevity, quality and an army of diehard fans. The Streets had a knack for songs with a bit of character and spunk by writing packed with humour and pain. With ditties that would get stuck in your head, one liners that hit sometimes too hard and currents that ran through your soul, it’s easy to see how they amassed popularity.

Led by the British musician Mike Skinner, The Streets are known for a unique blend of garage, hip-hop and electronic music. Their debut album “Original Pirate Material” (2002) is often considered a landmark in UK garage music. Skinner’s crafts his lyric is a stream of consciousness style using witty and observational verses to comment on the everyday life of the young British public. What Skinner may not have realised is just how well his words would age with his fans. As his listens transitioned through different stages of life, some of his songs would take on the come down reality of aging or the jovial reminisce merry times gone by. Later albums like “A Grand Don’t Come for Free” and “The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living” continued Skinner’s success however nothing would quite have the same explosion as their landmark first release.

Skinner is a regular to the tour scene with both his band, The Streets, and as soloist playing DJs set and latenights for the hard-core. Onstage, his antics and blasé attitude draw in the fans excitement and it’s no wonder tickets to see him are snapped up quickly. Glasgow’s O2 academy battened down the hatches for what all knew would be heavy night for attendees of the November 2023 performance.

The busy crowd was a blurry, red eyed tin of sardines by 9pm. As garage and dance blasted out the speakers, fans edged closer and closer through the packed sweaty smoke to get as close to the stage as possible. The place shook as Skinner and the band took to the stage and launched into ‘Turn the Page’ followed by ‘Who’s Got the Bag’ and ‘Lets Push Things Forward.’ The set list was composed like a greatest hits and Skinner gave the crowd the songs that he knew they wanted to hear.

The emotion sprinkled in between laser laden beats creates dancing, hugging bodies rippling through the crowd in tracks like ‘Everything is Borrowed’ and the weeper ‘Dry Your Eyes Mate.’ A highlighting moment included Kevin Mark Trail’s incredible performance on ‘The Escapist’ where his vocals seemed to turn gospel and cradle the room. Skinner spent the night up to usual tricks of clowning, crowd surfing and sparking up, however, this did not stop him from performing on every song. The finishing numbers of the night saw ‘Fit but You Know It’ raise some serious moves and ‘Blinded by the Lights’ and ‘Take Me as I Am’ leave an emotional glow within the enjoyment of the night.

As Mike Skinner and The Streets continue to age like a fine wine, tickets to see them remain the gloried purchases as they were two decades ago. Although Skinner plods ahead like a man who cannot be stopped, it seems his partying ways have not left him with a looming expiry date.