THE STREETS LIVE at Castlefield Bowl: A Grand Still Ain’t Free in Manchester

Words: Gethin Marshall

Images: Gethin Marshall

The curtain, a great black wall that up until this point has concealed the entire back half of the

stage, finally drops. Behind it is what the whole crowd has been waiting for: in all its mundane

glory, an unassuming green bus stop. This, of course, is no ordinary bus stop- in fact, it is a

full-scale recreation of the iconic front cover of The Streets’ groundbreaking 2004 album, A

Grand Don’t Come for Free, complete with flat orange roof, working streetlights and a constantly

changing digital background to reflect the setting of the song being played.

I’m standing only a row back from the barrier; the volume of the crowd behind me quickly

goes up in a roar as Mike Skinner, mastermind producer-instrumentalist-songwriter-vocalist

behind The Streets, walks casually out of the bus stop and into the grey Manchester

early-evening light. Though his mannerisms are casual, the first notes of It Was Supposed to Be

So Easy bring an even bigger cheer from the audience. Throughout the opening track of the

album, Skinner- while rapping- carefully begins to write letters across the front of the bus stop.

When he steps away, they spell out ‘0161 MANNY ON THE MAP’.

The next hour or so is a masterfully choreographed, almost operatic performance, with

Skinner- joined by his band and backing singers- practically acting out each song of the album

in turn. The album- not just a collection of songs but a full and unfolding story- is one that I

believe everyone should listen to before they die, and is yet further elevated by Skinner’s

detailed and creative live performance. The audience is captivated, yelling lyrics back at the

stage in one voice and reacting loudly to every conflict and iconic moment in the plot. As the

final notes of Empty Cans fade away, Skinner and his band step to the front of the stage, bowing

to cacophonous applause in a way reminiscent of theatre actors at the end of a performance of

Shakespeare.

After they leave the stage, I (along with the rest of the crowd, by the sound of it) expect

them to return for an encore; maybe two or three hits from other albums as a nice closer to the

evening. What I do not expect is an entire secondary set, taking the concert even later into the

warm Manchester night. This, of course, is exactly what I get, with a much more unplanned,

raucous atmosphere than before which has Skinner interacting directly with the crowd and even

coming right into the mosh pit. Despite the short gap in the middle, the energy doesn’t drop for a

single minute.

The two halves of this concert display the range of Skinner’s talents, from his masterful

storytelling and theatrical performance, to his ability to hold a crowd captive and raise the

energy with a single word. After a second night in Manchester, the tour will continue through the

rest of the UK, with many gigs already sold out along the way. Even 22 years after this seminal

album’s release, it’s clear that The Streets still hasn’t lost his edge.