THE STREETS TO PERFORM ‘A GRAND DON’T COME FOR FREE’ IN FULL AT KIRKSTALL ABBEY

REVERED BRITISH MULTI-HYPHENATES TO HEADLINE ‘LIVE AT KIRKSTALL ABBEY’ 2026

THE STREETS
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER PERFORMING IN FULL
‘A GRAND DON’T COME FOR FREE’
Plus very special guests to be announced

KIRKSTALL ABBEY

FRIDAY 24TH JULY 2026

One of the UK’s most important and influential hip hop, rap and garage acts, The Streets have announced a huge show next summer as part of the return of live music to Leeds’ history Kirkstall Abbey. Inimitable frontman Mike Skinner and his band will be performing their seminal second album A Grand Don’t Come for Free in full for the first time ever on Friday 24th July as part of the second Live at Kirkstall Abbey concert series.

Originally released in 2004, A Grand Don’t Come For Free remains one of the most important and influential British albums of the 21st century. Entering the UK charts at No.1, the record went multi-platinum and delivered era-defining singles including ‘Fit But You Know It’, ‘Blinded By The Lights’ and ‘Dry Your Eyes’ which won Skinner a prestigious Ivor Novello award. The album cemented Skinner as one of the UK’s most original and vital voices, capturing the humour, heartbreak and unfiltered emotion of day to day life with rare poetic clarity.

Performing the album in its entirety, The Streets are giving fans a chance to experience the full story exactly as it was intended: a cinematic journey through love, loss, chaos, heartbreak and hope, delivered with Skinner’s trademark raw honesty and wit.

The Streets broke through in 2002 with the Mercury Prize-nominated Original Pirate Material – widely regarded as one of the most influential British albums of recent times, whose impact on culture and UK music can still be felt to this day. A Grand Don’t Come For Free followed soon after and since then, The Streets have released four further albums: The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living (2006), Everything Is Borrowed (2008), Computer and Blues (2011) and last year’s The Darker The Shadow, The Brighter The Light whilst Skinner has collaborated with a host of British musical royalty including Kano, Fred Again, Greentea Peng and house DJ legend Chris Lorenzo and championed breaking British music through his Mike Skinner LTD label.

Ever the innovator, Skinner’s latest project, The Darker The Shadow, The Brighter The Light, melds his signature spoken word storytelling with a self-directed film of the same name; weaving a noir-inspired narrative through gritty garage beats and tales of everyday survival. Still commanding the stage and gripping audiences with his quintessentially British tongue-in-cheek attitude, his latest material and this very special live performance is all testament to the impact Skinner and The Streets have had, and continue to have across generations of musicians and fans alike.

This announcement follows the news that Leeds indie heroes The Sunshine Underground will be reuniting for an exclusive show for Live At Kirkstall Abbey; celebrating 20 years of their classic 2006 album ‘Raise The Alarm’ by playing it in full alongside other fan favourite tunes. Taking to the stage for the first time in ten years, The Sunshine Underground will be joined by an incredible line up of fellow indie luminaries including White Lies, Hard-Fi, The Futureheads, The Twang and The Whip.

Held in the grounds of the iconic Kirkstall Abbey, Live at Kirkstall Abbey first took place in 2024. Welcoming over 15,000 people to the grounds of the 12th century Cistercian monastery, Live at Kirkstall Abbey’s first season took place over three days, featuring headliners Madness & Embrace and a host of comedians including Katherine Ryan and Ross Noble.

Curated by Leeds-based promoters and Yorkshire’s largest live music brand Futuresound Events, Live at Kirkstall Abbey will return for its second edition in summer of 2026 with even more music and comedy events still to be announced.

Kirkstall postcode pre-sale for local residents (LS4, LS5, LS13 & LS18) will open at 10am on Wednesday 15th October here.

General sale opens at 10am on Friday 17th here.

For more information on the series please visit:

https://www.futuresoundgroup.com/

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Mike Skinner said:

“A Grand Don’t Come For Free was a moment in time – for me, and for everyone who grew up with it. I wrote it as a story from beginning to end, even studying screenwriting to shape it and without the faintest idea how people would react. We’ve been looking for something bold to do with the live show, and we landed here: some tracks have never been played live, others haven’t surfaced in years. It’s a new challenge to bring the whole journey to life on stage, but I have an incredible band and we always give everything every night. So I’m certain we’ll make finding out what happened to that thousand quid a party.”

Andy Smith – Director, Futuresound Group said:

“We’re so excited to be announcing even more live music for Kirkstall Abbey next summer. Last year’s debut series was an incredible introduction and bringing it back in this way is something we’ve been working hard at for the last twelve months. To be welcoming The Streets to Leeds to perform such an iconic album is a real privilege and against the backdrop of the Abbey it’s going to be something special.