London launches search for buskers to lift commuter spirits

AFP

LONDON—It was a busy morning at London’s Southwark train station and the pressure was on—but not just for the city’s commuters.

In an airy spot between two escalators a small group of musicians unpacked their instruments, checked their music and calmed any last-minute nerves.

The London Underground network is holding its first auditions since the pandemic for buskers to keep the city’s 3.5 million daily travelers entertained and uplifted.

Actor and singer Peter Willoughby was one of the first to step forward.

As he belted out Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic,” accompanying himself on the guitar, the judges scribbled notes on their clipboards.

Passers-by rushed past. No time to stop, but the appreciative looks they threw in his direction were unmistakable.

“I saw the auditions and thought that seems like an opportunity to get back to doing something I loved,” he told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The 35-year-old began busking when he was a teenager in his home city of Ipswich in eastern England, setting him on a path to a career in acting.

Guitarist and singer Francesco Nasone takes part in a busking audition at Transport for London’s (TFL) Southwark Underground tube station, in London, on February 28, 2024. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

“I fully believe in the power of live performance,” he said, laughingly adding that as a professional he loved the opportunity for immediate positive feedback.

“I’m very keen on approval,” he joked.

Best of the bunch

Around 280 musicians from 450 who applied have been shortlisted for the 10 days of auditions which have just begun.

For 62-year-old saxophonist Andrew Bruell from Essex, to the east of London, the auditions are a chance to see if he can cut it along with London’s finest—just nine years after he started playing.

He took up the sax along with his daughter just before he took early retirement from a high-pressure managerial job for car manufacturer Ford.

“She had the lessons but I practiced and that’s what made the difference,” he said.

He took to it so well, in fact, that friends quickly started suggesting he do it professionally.

Andrew ‘Sax’ Bruell warms up before taking part in busking audition at Transport for London’s (TFL) Southwark Underground tube station, in London, on February 28, 2024. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

Now, as part of his “second life after retirement,” he busks for charity in the street and also performs at parties and gigs.

The auditions, for which he played Prince’s “Purple Rain” and the Louis Armstrong hit “What a Wonderful World,” are a way of stopping “anyone who isn’t really good from performing on the Underground,” he said.

“It’s a way of getting the very best people,” he said, adding that he’d be proud to be selected.

The shortlisted performers will be put through their paces at several stations including Blackfriars and Canary Wharf by three-strong judging panels made up of professional musicians alongside station staff.

Stage presence

They will be assessed on a combination of musical ability and stage presence, according to Transport for London (TfL) which runs the underground network, with no upper limit except on the number buskers who can be accepted to play.

The licensed busking scheme has been running for over 20 years with auditions held every few years for the around 40 pitches.

A musician takes part in a busking audition at Transport for London’s (TFL) Southwark Underground tube station, in London, on February 28, 2024. Licensed buskers have a unique audience of around 3.5 million Tube passengers every day. To become one of these performers of the London’s underground, artists have attend an audition in front of a panel of music industry experts in public locations around the capital, with entrants being judged on their originality, technique and performance. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

The salary is uncertain. Bruell said he does not always get his train fare from Essex. But the important thing is to get your music heard.

Most are located on the Underground but there are also a few on the Overground train network which serves this city of nearly nine million people.

One existing busker, who goes by the stage name Angie G, said many of her fellow performers never returned after the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.

She said she kept going through the pandemic, busking “anywhere I could find human beings” and urged other people to get involved.

“I feel as a musician it’s very good to busk—not just for the public but for your own mental health,” she said.

The judges selections are due to be announced towards the end of March with the new cohort up and running and entertaining London travelers by November.

“Music is just part of our DNA in London,” said Justine Simons, deputy mayor for culture, underlining the city’s musical credentials from “big stadia to grassroots music all around.”

“And for the traveling public it just brings real joy to your journey,” she said.