Mike Skinner has assured fans that he didn’t get The Streets back together because he needs the money.
The group have announced details of a one-off UK ‘Greatest Hits’ tour for 2018. ‘The Darker The Shadow The Brighter The Light’ tour is named after a recent track from Skinner.
Now, in an interview with Mr Porter, he’s confirmed that his reasons for reforming the group aren’t as cynical as some have suggested. “Well, I don’t need the cash, otherwise I’d have done all the festivals, and the offers we got were insane,” he says. “There were a few things that Dizzee [Rascal] said when he did the big Red Bull gigs [referencing his 2016 Boy In Da Corner shows]. He said at one point, ‘I know this means a lot to you,’ and it felt like it was his way of saying, ‘But I’ve moved on.’ And I totally get that. I’m gonna celebrate the past.”
He also notes later in the interview that his work on a new Streets album is “getting on like Prince, you know, 40 songs.”
The Streets last toured in 2011 in support of their fifth album ‘Computers and Blues’. They will now reunite for live dates next April and will perform songs from their classic albums ‘Original Pirate Material’ and ‘A Grand Don’t Come For Free’, plus more.
Of the tour, Skinner said: “I’ve missed tour buses very much. Which is the least of the reasons why I have decided to tour The Streets again. The other thing I’ve missed is trying to think up what I’m going to say in the gap between the songs. When you DJ they tell you that you don’t need a tour bus and you don’t need to think up things to say between the songs. But seriously, it’s been long enough.”