The Streets at Manchester Academy 5th October 2008

Mike Skinner and co. get ready to reveal the sounds of the fourth album, Everything is Borrowed.

The Streets may have started out as a band but these days it is the moniker of just one man. Mike Skinner's distinctive lyrics blend garage beats with minutely observed sketches of modern life. The combination of the mundane and the marvellous has influenced a whole new school of lyricists, from the Artic Monkeys through to the LDN school headed up by Lily Allen and Kate Nash.

Bursting onto the scene with his first album 'Original Pirate Material' and its singles Let's Push Things Forward and Don't Mug Yourself, Skinner really struck a chord with UK audiences with his follow up album 'A Grand Don't Come For Free'. This concept album told the story of a period in Skinner's life, beginning with the loss of £1000, through a relationship from start to finish and ending with the eventual return of the £1000. The singles Fit But You Know It, Dry Your Eyes Mate and Blinded By The Lights made him a household name.

The third album, The Hardest Way To Earn A Living, was darker and less well-received by critics and audiences, though the single When You Wasn't Famous prompted plenty of media speculation over the identity of the female celebrity in question. With the forthcoming fourth album Everything is Borrowed promising a more optimistic theme and a more universal approach than his earlier albums, the 11-date October tour is sure to draw in both hard-core fans and people eager to get a handle on the new sound. With the recent news that Skinner has decided to move on from The Streets following Everything Is Borrowed, this could be your last chance to see The Streets in action.