Live Review: The Streets // Meltdown Festival // South Bank Centre, London 12/06/2025
The Streets poured out their electronic poetry to an adoring audience from all walks of life.
Little Simz is the curator of the Southbank Centre’s 30th Meltdown Festival, joining a legendary roster of past curators such as David Bowie. She has crafted an innovative eleven-day programme—including her own performance and to kick things off, that of none other than Mike Skinner A.K.A The Streets.
Encased in the brutalist architecture of the Southbank Centre it felt strange for everybody to be pleasantly sat in a theatre awaiting the garage powerhousery of The Streets. With fans in booths overlooking the stage like members of the galactic senate.
Mike Skinner’s pub geezer stage presence made for a show of hysterical proportions, if the music hadn’t taken off it’s clear he would have had a thriving career as a stand-up comedian. Skinner joked with the seated crowd that they should not stand up so as not to make it unfair for the people behind them munching on their maltesers.
His crowd work was wondrous and he made no attempt to distance himself as he constantly ran in and out of the crowd shaking hands, stealing seats and commenting on a particular older crowd member who was donning a Burberry fit. The crowd was eclectic from older fans reliving their garage glory days to younger ones dipping their toe in the symphonic waterfall of The Streets. Skinner quipped at the cultural difference between his music and the classical that the walls of that theatre were probably used to but to many, the music of The Streets is as classic as it comes.
A full band took to the stage with the ever-important synthesist, a drummer, bassist and guitarist and the backup singer/hype man who balanced Skinners laid back performance perfectly with dance moves to boot and powerfully soulful vocals.
As the lights went down, the strobes came up and the crowd roared, The Streets kicked off their set with some Original Pirate Material, Turn the Page. Many audience members instinctively jumped to their feet, while others very Britishly sat in their allocated seats.
Skinner strutted up and down the stage as he performed classics like Don’t Mug Yourself and asked questions like Who’s Got The Bag? and Has It Come to This? where the crowd were more than happy to wave a gunfinger or two in response. It’s hard to understand how such a relaxed individual could conjure such energy from their crowd. Skinner took the time to ensure people that the seats would not get in the way of how crazy the night would go, pointing out two women in a booth boogieing their hearts out. He took full control of the crowd getting them to stand and sit on command. It was also clear that he was manifesting a standing ovation as he made it abundantly clear, “save your claps, I want a standing ovation”.
Around the midpoint of the show everyone was commanded to sit for the sad songs. The Streets performed beautiful and heart wrenching renditions of I Wish You Loved You As Much As You Love Him, Dry Your Eyes and Never Went To Church. All of these songs present Skinner's stunning emotional range and nuanced portrayals of all forms of relationship from witnessing torment in the third-person, experiencing the decay of romance and the desperation for it to return and the grief and remembrance of a family member. For the latter, a particularly special moment occurred when Skinner addressed his children in the crowd and talked to them about their Grandad who they never got to know saying “he was a bit like me but mad!”
The setlist was a wonderfully mixed bag of tracks as The Streets moved into their more spiritual tunes with Everything is Borrowed and On the Edge of a Cliff where the poetry rings most faithful.
“For billions of years since the outset of time
Every single one of your ancestors survived
Every single person on your mum and dad’s side successfully looked after and passed onto you life”
And if that wasn’t enough to make you feel apart of something bigger than yourself, Skinner was hell bent on creating a connection between every person in the Southbank Centre that night as he asked everyone to find a stranger's eyes in the crowd and connect with them for a second and see in their eyes that they are all thinking “when’s he gonna play Fit But You Know It” Skinner teases, the guitarist teases also.
The crowd is locked to their feet as the entire venue belts out The Streets’ most iconic track, Fit But You Know It—an anthem for all. As the set nears its end, Skinner makes sure every last person is up and ready to jump for the finale. He even takes his place in the crowd, ensuring everyone is moving with him.
The band dives into unadulterated banger, Take Me As I Am, that might just be their finest performance of the night. The drums hammer out a frantic breakbeat, while the vocals echo through the room like a rallying cry. The entire venue is bouncing. Watching on through the blurred silhouettes of the two women in front of me, dancing like it was 2002 all over again, embracing each other like they were overcome by more than a can of pornstar martini.
Skinner earns his standing ovation as he calls each band member forward for a final bow, the crowd roaring and clapping loud enough to shake the roof of London’s Southbank Centre.
Words by Adam Mir
