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the streets Live-Music-Hall, Cologne, Germany
19th February 2019
The Streets - “The darker the shadow the brighter the light, part 2” Tour 2019 - Support: Fatoni

Mike Skinner is back and ‘Fit But You Know It’. This is known at least since the sold-out concert in Berlin’s Heimathafen club last April. It was followed by all enthusiastically acclaimed reunion shows in the UK, France and the Netherlands, where THE STREETS presented numerous songs from their now legendary back catalog for first time since 2011 live on stage, such as ‘A Grand Do not Come For Free’, ‘Everything Is Borrowed’, ‘The Hardest Way To Make Presented to Easy Living’ or ‘Original Pirate’. In recent months, Mike Skinner not only released five new songs, but is currently working on a new album, which is also the soundtrack to his new film project. Something’s going on at THE STREETS and that’s why Mike Skinner is finally putting the band back on the road in February 2019. The “The darker the shadow the brighter the light, part 2” tour was also including a show in Cologne… and the demand was high so that the concert was sold-out long ago!


Fatoni

Munich born FATONI is a German rapper and actor. In 2000, he founded the band CRÈME FRESH together with rapper Keno and producer Bustla. Until the band’s split in 2012, they released four albums and an EP. Now, FATONI walks on solo paths. His first solo album, ‘Solange früher alles besser war’, was release in 2011 already. After several more releases on collaborations, the album ‘Alle Liebe nachträglich’ was out in 2017. It was recorded together with singer Mine. Besides his Rap career, FATONI is also an actor. https://www.fatoni.de / https://www.facebook.com/Fatonimusik

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Music & Performance
The hall filled very slowly bit when FATONI finally entered the stage together with his companion running the technical devices at eight, the space in front of the stage was well filled. Right from the start, FATONI addressed the audience a lot. During the very first song, ‘Benjamin Button’, he jumped into the pit and talked to several people in the crowd… or drank their beer. Just very Hip-Hop style, he asked the people to join in the moving, singing or jumping. The third song was a complete freestyle rap where the crowd repeated the words. Of course you felt that the audience was not coming to see him but THE STREETS, but still the crowd received him quite well. I just found the numerous requests to scream for Mike Skinner a bit annoying and the statement about the death of Karl Lagerfeld did not really fit into the context. At the very end, FATONE did out himself as a Skinner fan boy with the song ‘Mike’ dealing with THE STREET’s front man Mike Skinner and his function as FATONI’s musical idol. To conclude: okay support, but it did not really catch me.

Setlist
01. Benjamin Button
02. Authitenzität
03. Freestyle
04. Semmelweißreflex
05. Kein Tag
06. Das ist alles Kunst
07. Kann nicht reden ich esse
08. Mike

Rating
Music: 5
Performance: 6
Sound: 7
Light: 6
Total: 6 / 10

fatoni D4S8214 klein


The Streets

English alternative Hip-Hop music group from Birmingham, England, THE STREETS, led by the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner, released five studio album so far, ‘Computers and Blues’ being the latest one in 2011. In 2001, the Locked On label released ‘Has It Come to This?’ under the name THE STREETS and this was a breakthrough hit for the band, reaching number 18 on the UK charts in October 2001. For the first album, ‘Original Pirate Material’, Skinner wanted to take UK Garage in a new direction with material reflecting the lifestyle of clubbers in Britain. The final THE STREETS album so far, ‘Computers and Blues’, was released on 7 February 2011. Afterwards, the band played live in 2011 at Jersey Live festival for the first time. Skinner performed at Reading Festival 2011 and at the 2011 Freeze Festival at Battersea power station which was his final gig in London performing as THE STREETS. THE STREETS ended after their final show at The Big Reunion… but then there was a new sign of life! On 22 December 2017, THE STREETS released two new tracks on streaming services. This marks the first new music release in six years. 2018 saw THE STREETS put out further singles: ‘If You Ever Need to Talk I’m Here’, ‘You Are Not the Voice in Your Head...’ and finally ‘Call Me in the Morning’ in November 2018. Now, the band is back on tour and performs in sold-out venues! https://www.thestreetsmusic.com / https://www.facebook.com/TheStreets

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Music & Performance
THE STREET were really popular in the beginning of the Millennium. Afterwards it became calmer around the one-man project of British musician Mike Skinner until now! The revival tour came to Germany now and of course resulted in a sold-out venue. The hall was packed when Skinner and his companions entered the stage at nine. Skinner won the crowd directly within the first song when he jumped from stage and went straight into the crowd. He was enthusiastically welcomed and thanked the crowd, “Thank you for smiling on a Tuesday night!” In the course of the show, he constantly integrated some statements into his songs. There was a lot of interaction between stage, namely Skinner, and the audience. Anyone in the crowd felt young again. Kind of flashback! During the show, Skinner i.e. saved the jacket of a girl to the stage (otherwise she might be too warm), he advised how to do circle pits and there were several beers handed to the audience. There was several statements too and Mike was even crowd-surfing during the set.

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But as we talk constantly about Mike Skinner, of course THE STREETS live is not Mike alone. His sprechgesang was accompanied by a first-class live band. Within the band, Kevin Mark Trail took over the back-up vocals. He was very active on stage as well and was running from side to side. Even though the band was not playing live for a long time, they still can deliver a great show and convinced from beginning to the end with either simple Reggae tunes or hard Rock sound. You even might had the impression not being on a Rock show, but on a Techno party or Rave… you could even smell the smoked weed in the whole hall… and even outside. It was like an intoxication for everyone. Anyone was dancing, singing and jumping, celebrating the return of a legend. The band had released a few new songs, but it was the old gems exciting the fans. THE STREETS were a phenomenon and for many they still are. The evening with Mike Skinner was like a journey back to the youth and now, the thirty- and fortysomethings were remembering the good old times… forgetting about their current life and problems.

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But some nostalgia does no harm. After the concert you saw lots of happy faces leaving the hall and people might talk for a long time about this show and about their memories…

Setlist
01. Turn the Page
02. Let’s Push Things Forward
03. Same Old Thing
04. Sharp Darts
05. Don’t mug yourself
06. Could Well Be In
07. Has It Come To This
08. Geezers Need Excitement
09. Everything Is Borrowed
10. Never Went to Church
11. Stay Positive
12. Going Through Hell
13. Too Much Brandy
14. It’s Too Late
15. The Escapist
16. Heaven for the Weather
17. Dry Your Eyes
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18. Your Wave God’s Wave God (The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light cover)
19. Call Me in the Morning
20. Open the Till (Grim Sickers cover)
21. Weak Become Heroes
22. Blinded By The Lights
23. Fit But You Know It

Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 7
Light: 7
Total: 7.5 / 10

thestreets D4S8316 klein

All pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)

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