The Streets have set the bar extremely high
The Streets – the musical project fronted by Mike Skinner – has become somewhat of a British icon. It seems fitting, then, that they should open the first night of Southbank Centre’s Meltdown festival – the 30th edition of the country’s longest-running artist-curated music festival, writes Melina Block.
This year’s curator is Little Simz, one of the most exciting current figures on the UK music scene. So, once again, it makes sense that she would turn to an artist whose career has been marked by creating fresh, innovative work for the last two decades, to be her opening night act.
Delivering a tight, energetic performance covering his biggest hits – including classics from 2002’s game changing Original Pirate Material – The Streets have set the bar for the rest of the festival extremely high.
It was clear that the room was filled with diehard fans, spanning the breadth of all corners of British society; a testament to The Streets’ ability to craft music which truly speaks to the everyday person. With lyrics which document the highs and lows of life in the UK – the thrills of going out and the crushing comedowns, the excitement of love and the despair of loss – I only wish that the sound mixing had made Skinner’s voice a tiny bit easier to hear. Generally, though, it is hard to find anything else to complain about.
Skinner was joined by a live band of clearly skilled musicians, all joining together to produce a frenetic, ecstatic atmosphere that had the entire crowd on their feet (when possible – Skinner gave strict instructions on when to stand up and when to sit down to avoid obscuring the view of those behind you). A mix between a rave and a concert, there was a real sense that we were witnessing something special. The show started off with a bang and kept the momentum going until the very end, proving why The Streets have remained such an important and influential act across the 21st century.
If this is a taste of what is to come for the rest of Little Simz’ Meltdown, then it is definitely worth trying to secure a ticket for one of the other nights – if they haven’t already been snapped up.
Booking: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/
