The Streets, Hackney EartH, London

“We wish more than anything you could be with us tonight, but you can’t so we’re coming to you. It could all go horribly wrong, but we’ve built a trapdoor in the stage that I can sink into…”

Broadcast live from Hackney’s EartH and into our living rooms via livestream, The Streets put on a performance that will make anyone else attempting similar need to step up their game. Transforming the London venue into Mike Skinner’s disco-ball filled playground - “You are downloading Elon Musk style into my brain right now!” - with multiple band setups across the venue, a urinal on the wall (yep!), a greasy spoon, a pub and more, it’s an interactive moment to remember.

Mike himself is on top form, downing shots like a legend, proclaiming himself the “number one Wave God” and popping bottles of champagne, while performing hits from his unrivalled discography. Opening with ‘Original Pirate Material”s first track ‘Turn The Page’, before diving into ‘Let’s Push Things Forward’, Mike is joined by Donae’o for ‘I Wish You Loved You As Much As You Love Him’, lifted from July’s ‘None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive’, before IDLES appear via a pre-recorded video for their rendition of the title track.

Although a fairly weird sight to watch with the absence of a rowdy crowd, there are fun elements included, such as a welcome ‘beer break’ in the middle to allow Mike to catch his breath, and Mike and co manage to maintain the same electric energy as they would for any ‘normal’ show. It was still an unabashed celebration of live music.

Appearing after the intermission noting “You know it’s only 9:30pm? We could literally finish this gig and go out?”, The Streets continue the party, giving us an emotional and fabulous ‘Dry Your Eyes’, ‘Call My Phone Thinking I’m Doing Nothing Better’ and good vibe-heavy ‘Weak Become Heroes’ performed from, um, the ladies’ toilets.

With only one minor casualty of a slip down EartH’s stairs, Mike delivers on ‘Blinding Lights’ and ‘Fit But Don’t You Know It’, gleefully proclaiming “Only number one hits now, is it?”

By the time the hour is almost up and final track ‘Take Me As I Am’ starts rupturing, the distance doesn’t matter, you feel totally wrapped up in the party, complete with a final send off of foam and confetti canons. Heads may have been a little bit sore the next day, but the memories of this livestream are destined to live on forever.