The Streets' return to London was a hectic, pint-powered nostalgia hit

"Geezers need excitement," so the Mike Skinner lyric goes. He wasn't wrong back then in 2002 and it still rings true tonight. The foyer in O2 Academy Brixton could well be a football stadium concourse with all the boozed-up, laddish hollering going on, but you can't blame them for the lairy anticipation. Skinner and his band The Streets are back on the road for the first time in seven years. If you thought this nostalgia hit might bring with it a dose of maturity, you're wrong. Straightaway you're greeted with posters reading 'Brandy or beer? 2-pinter's a good idea', playing on the lyrics of 'Blinded By The Lights', encouraging the use of plastic double pint cups. "We've only got an hour," Skinner declares, before booting an empty one into the crowd to get things started.

'Turn The Page' is the opener after a dramatic, orchestral build-up, Skinner casually strolling on stage dressed all in black and accompanied by a four-piece band, plus singer Kevin Mark Trail. He makes sure to get the crowd onside early, enthusiastically activating showman mode with an exaggerated recital of the lyrics 'then the crowd roar'. Trail, who features twice on 'Original Pirate Material', tees up 'Let's Push Things Forward' by aiming 'let's put our Classics on' into the mic, even though Skinner, in somewhat of a betrayal of the song's lyrics, has opted for Nike footwear over Reebok.

Skinner's voice sounds strained at times. Understandable, judging by the tour carnage his Instagram has displayed. It's no wonder he says it's been "the best tour of my life." The carnage continues when Jameson's rumbling UK garage cut 'Urban Hero' is dropped and Skinner launches himself onto the arms of the crowd, uncontrollably riding left, then right, then left. "You lot are too much for me to handle on my own," he says once back on stage, spraying one of many bottles of champagne onto them.

Later singles like 'Everything Is Borrowed' and 'Heaven For The Weather' don't quite hit the spot, but the more emotional tracks like 'Never Went To Church' and 'Dry Your Eyes' turn the place into singalong central. Skinner's clearly feeling the love, saying "there's nothing like a room singing the same song, ladies and gents." There's a taste of The Streets' future as the younger crowd members are sent into a frenzy with 'Boys Will Be Boys', featuring Birmingham grime MC Jaykae, but this feels a little bit forced among The Streets' classic hits. The band swaps the piano chords for guitars and drums on 'Weak Become Heroes', sadly taking away the original's euphoria, but 'Blinded By The Lights' hits the rave-infused sweet spot. The stage lights turn a dim blue, Skinner takes his T-shirt off and a guy in front of us pulls his mate in for a hug.

"I'm coming in, I'm coming in," is the threat of the night from Skinner. In come the rowdy chords of 'Fit But You Know It', alternating with the madness of Arctic Monkeys' 'Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor', and into the crowd he goes. As the crowd push him back towards the stage, he triumphantly points an up yours towards the ceiling. He might be pushing 40 and past the point of being able to recreate the tales that made The Streets so great, but Mike Skinner can still throw a hectic party. Geezers really do need excitement and Mike's one hell of a geezer.

[Photo: Amy Elizabeth Gordon]

Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor, follow him on Twitter