Now in its 30th edition, Meltdown has long stood as a bastion of artist-led curation — a space where visionary musicians shape their own festivals. With past curators including Chaka Khan and Nile Rodgers, this year’s honour was handed to Little Simz, who opened the proceedings with a bang by inviting one of the UK’s most influential acts: The Streets.
Led by the ever-charismatic Mike Skinner, The Streets delivered a genre-blending masterclass at London’s Southbank Centre — a potent mix of garage, grime, hip-hop, and everyday poetry that felt as vital now as it did in 2002.
The evening began in near darkness. A haunting mixtape of Streets tracks — including “Money Isn’t Everything” from their latest album The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light — played out amid bursts of sirens and vuvuzelas, creating tension in the crowd. When Skinner finally appeared, dressed in his trademark black polo and joggers, the Southbank erupted.
Without missing a beat, they launched into “Turn the Page,” the opening salvo from their debut Original Pirate Material. “Forty-fifth generation Roman” never hit harder, and Skinner, equal parts raconteur and ringleader, immediately had the crowd in the palm of his hand, even joking about saving energy and not standing too soon. “Don’t worry,” he quipped. “You’ll digest your Maltesers and Fruit Pastilles in due time.” It wasn’t long before the audience swayed obediently, seated but buzzing.
Anyone who’s ever dealt with the awkward politics of seated venues knows how delicate the balance can be. But Skinner, ever the showman, turned it into a game, setting clear cues for when to sit and when to rise. When “Don’t Mug Yourself” kicked in, he climbed atop a box and led the room into full release. It was a moment of unfiltered joy that only a band like The Streets could orchestrate so effortlessly.
From there, the hits kept coming. “Has It Come to This?” arrived early, greeted like an old friend. “Fit but You Know It” and the chart-topping “Dry Your Eyes” were met with ecstatic sing-alongs, but never felt like tired karaoke. Instead, Skinner’s delivery kept their emotional weight intact, reminding everyone why The Streets became national treasures in the first place.
There were moments of sharp humour too. “I am a God. I can turn wine into vomit,” he snarled during “Wrong Answers Only.” The self-awareness, the cultural commentary — it was all there, intact, alive, and thriving. Between songs, Skinner praised the Southbank Centre as a “Brutalist Utopia,” offering genuine thanks to the venue and Little Simz for curating the moment.
Crucially, this wasn’t just a nostalgia trip. Tracks like “Troubled Waters” proved that The Streets’ new material stands tall alongside the classics — honest, fresh, and still restlessly creative.
As the set closed and the inevitable extended standing ovation rolled in, it was clear The Streets had delivered more than a performance — they’d provided a communal experience. Equal parts theatre, rave, and sermon, this opening night of Meltdown 2025 was a statement: The Streets are not just back. They never left.
Be the first to comment