Originally, The Streets was a one-man operation. At the helm was Brummie rapper Mike Skinner who recorded his first album Original Pirate Material in his bedroom.

Although generally ignored by Radio 1, the album was embraced by music fans who saw it as salvation from mass-produced chart pulp.

Featuring raw, honest and gritty tracks such as It's Too Late, Has It Come To This? and Too Much Brandy, the album manages to be cool, poetic and sharply funny.

It is simple and unpretentious yet pumped with an urban philosophy we can all relate to.

This phenomenal solo achievement got Skinner shortlisted for four Brit Awards including Best Male Artist up against Robbie Williams.

But the announcement of a UK tour begged the question "How would the album translate live?"

The answer came with a little help from his friends.

Skinner has put together a band and, although new acquaintances, they perform with the cheeky arrogance of old friends.

In fact, they look less like a band and more like a bunch of lads who have stormed the stage and are refusing to give back the microphones.

The Streets don't try to be something they're not. They have a laugh and simply let the songs speak for themselves.

Live gigs are still new to Skinner and his naivety has a rough charm.

Despite telling the crowd that encores are "b*******', he came back on stage, got swept up in the adoration and continued for a further 20 minutes.

This naivety could be disbelief, after all, it's a huge leap from bedroom producer to Brit Award nominee.

A man who knew something about this was standing on a window ledge at the back of the venue. He's the uncle of Jonny, the drummer.

In his 50s and wearing a woolly jumper, he waved a mobile phone in the air so his family in London could hear.

In between songs, he revealed Mike isn't planning to go to The Brits. He doesn't think he'll win.

The crowd was full of the band's family and friends. Mike's girlfriend lives in Brighton and is studying at the University of Sussex.

Although the creator of a massively-successful album, Skinner isn't a natural front man. He's skinny, pale and if he dived into the crowd, security would have a tough job knowing which bloke to pull out.

But the 23-year-old doesn't need a sparkly, pop star persona. He's not about hype. He's about taking music back to its basics.

For him, it's about beats and lyrics. If he sticks to that formula, The Streets could well change the face of British music.