The Streets Embrace Final Performance Of UK Tour At Alexandra Palace [Live Review]

The Streets return to the stage of Alexandra Palace for the final performance of their largely sold-out UK tour for a night to remember at the iconic North London venue. The duo’s producer and vocalist Mike Skinner exclaims to the crowd: ‘It’s been such a pleasure to be back here’, explaining how he walked to the venue as he ‘lives just around the corner’.

Supported by artists Hak Baker, Joy Anonymous and Master Peace, The Streets arrive to celebrate past and current iconic records that are well-loved by fans. The crowd erupts into excitement for the forthcoming performance, with Skinner standing up right at the front of the barriers looking out onto the crowd. Skinner commands the crowd with his tongue-in-cheek lyrics and boisterous stage presence.

Suddenly, I'm reminded of a special performance by The Streets when I attended Parklife in July 2019. The sun was setting and painted the heads bobbing in the crowd as Skinner descended onto the stage with a bottle of wine in hand and all the energy to engage us. Although the setting is different, there is the same mood where fans unite to enjoy an evening celebrating the iconic British artist.

The tour comes after the release of their 15-track album The Darker The Shadow The Brighter The Light, released on the 13th of October 2023. Reminiscent of the themes of their previous projects, the album is connected to the many aspects of British nightlife, reverberating with bass, garage, dance (‘Money Isn’t Everything’) and even reggae (‘Something To Hide’) sounds.

Since breaking onto the scene with the Mercury Prize-nominated album Original Pirate Material in 2002, the project has been lauded as one of the most influential British albums with its impact on UK music and culture remaining ever present. The Streets have since released the LP The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living (2006) and the 2020 mixtape None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Alive.

Having collaborated with the likes of Giggs, Kano and Fred Again, Skinner has well and truly established himself as a legend of British music. Towards the end of the performance he says, ‘Fuck, this has been one of the best tours of my life, actually’, before encouraging an all-women circle pit and crowd-surfing during the final song, concluding the last gig of the tour quite fittingly.