Astral People, Handsome Tours & Double J present…
The Streets
for the first time ever performing in full
A Grand Don’t Come For Free
The Streets broke through in 2002 with the Mercury Prize-nominated Original Pirate Material – widely regarded as one of the most influential British albums of recent times, whose impact on culture and UK music is still felt today. Four BRIT Award nominations for Best Album, Best Urban Act, Best Breakthrough Artist, and Best British Male Solo Artist followed. “Dry Your Eyes”, from 2005’s follow-up album A Grand Don’t Come For Free, won an Ivor Novello for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. Skinner also received a BRIT Award that same year for Best British Male Solo Artist.
Since then, The Streets have released further LPs: The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living (2006), Everything Is Borrowed (2008), Computer and Blues (2011), and 2020’s mixtape None Of Us Are Getting Out of This Alive. Skinner has collaborated with a who’s who of British music – from Kano to Fred Again, Greentea Peng, MasterPeace, Giggs, and notably Chris Lorenzo on clubland smash “Take Me As I Am”. In recent years, through his Mike Skinner LTD label, he’s worked with artists at the forefront of British music, including FLOHIO, Ghetts, and Grim Sickers.
His most recent album, The Darker The Shadow, The Brighter The Light, marked Skinner’s return with a full-length project blending his signature spoken-word lyricism with cinematic storytelling. The album pairs with a self-directed film of the same name, weaving a noir-inspired narrative through gritty beats, UK garage, and introspective themes of fame, identity, and survival.
An inimitable live performer with extensive experience both behind the decks and on the microphone, Skinner is renowned for his boisterous onstage presence and ability to captivate audiences from intimate venues to major festivals. Whether performing a live-streamed lockdown set or a garage and bassline DJ set, Skinner commands the stage with undeniable presence and his trademark tongue-in-cheek humour. When The Streets announced a comeback tour in 2017, tickets sold out in less than a minute – a testament to the lasting impact The Streets continue to have across several generations of fans.
Originally released in 2004, A Grand Don’t Come For Free remains one of the most important and influential British albums of the 21st century. Entering the UK charts at No.1, the record went multi-platinum and delivered era-defining singles including “Dry Your Eyes”, “Fit But You Know It”, and “Blinded By The Lights”. It cemented Skinner as one of the UK’s most original and vital voices, capturing the humour, heartbreak, and raw emotion of everyday life with rare poetic clarity.
This Australian tour marks the first time The Streets will perform the album in its entirety, giving fans the chance to experience the full story exactly as intended: a cinematic journey through love, loss, chaos, heartbreak, and hope, delivered with Skinner’s trademark honesty and wit. Alongside the album, The Streets will also perform a selection of Mike Skinner’s most beloved songs from across his catalogue.
