Mike Skinner (AKA The Streets) released this seminal concept album on 1st January 2004, spawning a number one single in ‘Dry Your Eyes’ and three top ten singles in all. The album reached number one and is surely unique amongst ‘rap operas’ in doing so (Mind you, maybe Hamilton has surpassed its importance since then.)

For three nights, at Summerhall, gig theatre becomes rap opera theatre as the album is performed in its totality. Well almost – one of the songs is omitted because, we are told, ‘It’s plop’ – but it would be a serious spoiler to reveal its identity.

It’s brought to you by Wright&Grainger, the multi award-winning, internationally acclaimed storytellers who are supplemented for this one-off show by Anita who supplies the female lead vocals and harmonies. It gets the full dance floor treatment with multiple stages and supplementary instrumentation to a prerecorded soundtrack and a full-on lighting rig. It’s smoky, sleazy and ecstatic. The audience are invited to mingle, move and dance and at several points join the crew on stage.

The album is not performed purely as an homage because useful details of its history, storyline and the motivations of its cast of many characters are spelled out in an enthusiastic running commentary to aid those with no prior knowledge of the story (that’s not very many to be honest).

The performance is clearly drawn from the heart. It’s the soundtrack to Wright&Grainger’s lives, the album that got them into music in the first place and that cemented their school and now lifelong friendship and the passion they feel for this music comes across loud and clear.

It a surprise that they have lyrics printed out, given their love of the album but this kinds of adds to the slightly ramshackle approach that the production adopts

But it’s their camaraderie that drives the performance along, making for a joyous and entirely engaging hour of classic material that’s met with a well-deserved enthusiastic audience reaction.

‘A Grand Don’t Come for Free‘ is at Summerhall – Dissection Room until Sun 10 Aug 2025 at 21:30