Mike Skinner has never been one for quiet comebacks. Now, the voice of The Streets returns with a full-blown multimedia blitz: a new single, Brave St Andrew, a feature film you can watch for free on YouTube, and the same storytelling that first cemented him as a voice of a generation.
Released through his own label, 45th Generation Roman, Brave St Andrew pays tribute to Birmingham City Football Club and its fiercely loyal supporters.
It was written especially for Built in Birmingham: Brady and the Blues, the new Prime Video doc following NFL legend Tom Brady and businessman Tom Wagner’s attempt to revive the club.
But this is more than a sports tie-in it’s a tribute to Skinner’s city, its underdog spirit, and the grit that defines it.
Critics have called the singer’s music a line between pride and pain, hope and realism his calling card. “It’s about resilience, about sticking with something even when it breaks your heart,” he’s said.
The song lands just as Skinner continues his evolution from cult musician to full-blown creative auteur.
Earlier this year, he released The Darker the Shadow, the Brighter the Light, a feature film he directed, scored, and starred in and he’s just made it available to stream, completely free, on YouTube.
Shot across London and Birmingham, the noir-tinged caper is part moody crime story, part music video universe, and all very, very Streets..
Alongside the film, Skinner’s been dropping “making of” episodes on YouTube, with the latest giving fans a behind-the-scenes peek at Brave St Andrew.
His Meltdown Festival performance at the Royal Festival Hall this summer was met with rave reviews.
But for fans of The Streets, a band who broke through in 2002 with Original Pirate Material, changed the face of British music, and won awards for hits like Dry Your Eyes, it’s just further proof that Skinner’s never really stopped. He’s just switched lanes.
Stream Brave St Andrew here
