This song is supposed to be about a particularly bad section of London.
Can any UK Dopers elaborate?
Electric Avenue is in Brixton, in south London, where many West Indian immigrants live. The street itself is near the tube station and part of the Brixton street market - very colourful.
I can’t remember how the song goes exactly. Maybe it was written about the riots in the early 80s when local young men confronted the police, accusing the force of racism after a black woman died when the police raided a house in the area. There was resentment about the police’s perceived harrassment of young black men, combined with a general sense of discontent about unemployment and exclusion. It was also a hot summer, which is condusive to rioting in British cities.
OTOH, the song could also be about the area’s reputation for drug dealing and crime in general.
Although Brixton has had a rough reputation in the past, it has since become somewhat gentrified. At least, no one I know can afford to buy a house there now. 
Ah. Down in the street there are violins! (well, that’s what I heard at five years old…)
It seems he’s talking about the riots, heat, and not being able to make enough money to feed the kids.
Lyrics here for a quick refresher. I know nothing about Electric Avenue. Or Brixton. Except maybe the guns… “when they kick at your front door, how you gonna come?”