The Streets @ O2 Academy, Glasgow, 21 Jan

There’s a highly charged but somewhat nervous energy in the Academy tonight as the crowd wait patiently for Mike Skinner and The Streets to take to the stage. The familiar strings of Original Pirate Material’s opening track Turn the Page open the set. Skinner marches on, dressed in black tracksuit bottoms and a black polo neck T-shirt; he’d be hard-pushed to look more normal. His exceptionally familiar and distinctive voice first heard over the mic pushes the crowd overboard. What is arguably up there as one of the greatest musical crescendos ever makes for a perfect start.

What follows is an onslaught of hits. Dancing commences with garage banger Has It Come to This? Ever in control, Skinner proves himself tonight as a remarkable performer, and his chat is, for the main part, hilarious. Acknowledging the awkwardness of it being a Monday night, he declares, "I’m sorry I’m not DJing tonight Glasgow, but Sub Club didn’t want me. So we’ve got to have the gig, the party and the after-party all in one tonight. Are you with me?" Moving through singalong favourite Could Well Be In, Skinner certainly sticks with his plan ­– consistently vamping up the energy from himself and the crowd: "I reckon we are at Wednesday now. Let’s make it to Friday night." It’s Too Late, Sharp Darts, Geezers Need Excitement and Don’t Mug Yourself all get an airing as Skinner ticks off huge track after huge track, and the room reaches its climax with a 200 person mosh pit and flying pints abound.

Constantly switching between his familiar and powerful lyrics, and his easy, relaxed chatter, Skinner goes on to pass a ten pound note from the stage through the crowd to the bar – "Can I trust you with this money Glasgow? Can I trust you? If I can’t, next time I’ll play Edinburgh" – to buy a two-pint beer, which he gets passed back to himself to down in one. It feels personal and genuine – the antithesis of a generic touring show, repeated verbatim, night after night.

It’s not all silly though, as Skinner makes a heartfelt and honest speech during Stay Positive about his struggles with depression; the need to look after your brain and ask for help if it’s not working. Dry Your Eyes signals the last big singalong of the night. The stage turns blue and a now-topless Skinner stands silhouetted on top of a speaker to perform the club-going, rave-attending, adolescent millennium anthem, Blinded By the Lights. It’s goosebump-inducing stuff, and a clear highlight of the set. Ending on Fit But You Know It, we leave beer-soaked, out of breath and totally on a high from the sheer energy and warmth of the evening.