hello musos,
me and some of my friends are plannin to spend the summer travelling around this our island home and a fair few of us will be taking our instruments along for a busk as this will be our last summer before uni (and hopefully a medical course). Do any of you marvellous sessioneers have places that you have busked/ found memorable for us to visit?
Nick
London is a bad place to start. London Transport has recently introduced licensed busking in tube stations - but that requires being in London for some length of time, so your application can be processed. Anyway, I've phoned for an application form twice and still haven't received one.
There's also licensed busking in Leicester Square and Covent Garden - I have never looked into getting a license. Those places tend to be monopolised by professional buskers, with amplification and a well-rehearsed 'act' (not necessarily musical).
I think, in general, you are allowed to busk anywhere on public property, provided you do not cause an obstruction or there are no complaints from retailers whose shopfronts you partially obscure or whose piped chart music you drown out. But most places in London are too noisy for anyone to take any notice, anyway. If a spot becomes popular with buskers, it is either made illegal or licensing is brought in.
Small towns with market places or pedestrian areas are probably a better bet.
Right outside Anfield and Goodison and you will only need to practise two tunes and the appropriate red or blue outfit. Red top, blue bottom or vice versa (for the local derby). Can we trade places age-wise?
mairtin
oh man, i'd get the crap kicked out of me. i was at the last derby. we should have won. good idea though. but anfield and goodison aren't in very nice areas. i'd need to be wearing riot gear whilst playing. and age doesn't matter!!!!
Nick - Glad to hear you weren't thinking of coming to London (although, of course, you'd be very welcome here). You've got your own fine city, so why would you want to come to this festering mouth-ulcer of a conurbation, anyway?
Cornwall and Scotland sound like better options. I did a bit of busking in Fort William and Inverness about 7 years ago, before I could play. My attempts at jigs and reels were well appreciated.
Scottish towns during Highland Games (May - Sep, work out your itinerary from a suitable website, most have fields set aside for tents) are generally good for buskers, lots of tourists, generally in a good and generous mood after leaving the beer tent. Usually rowdy sessions in pubs during and afterwards too, though the inevitable drunken pipers will appear. Time to go to the bar.
Watch out for Jake the Rhynie Hippie with his double-neck mando-guitar which he plays through a small portable amp while whistling through a mike. He always seems to get a few quid,
The trouble with drunken pipers is the ten minute warm up before they even play the tune. They always get a great cheer too. Are people applauding the music or the fact that they've eventually stopped? :>))
In Macclesfield, every year, the council imposes on the townsfolk a special week in which people who can't play an instrument very well are stationed all down Mill Street and Chestergate, separated about three shops width, most of them with poor quality amps and/or electrically operated backing tracks. They play awful crap all day for a week and then go away again.
If you guys are any good, then about two weeks after that would probably be a lucrative time, with the possibility of being cheered and carried shoulder-high into the Bate Hall and given lots of beer.
There's a superb little cove about 5 miles south of Mallaig, between the Morar river and Camus Darach where me and my lad played for a few hours on a few days last summer. The acoustics are perfect, and walkers along the coast path can come and go as they please without disturbing you, or just sit on the rocks and listen, and there's a wonderful campsite just a few hundred yards away.
The deck of a CalMac ferry is also good for a captive audience. They must listen or sink or jump overboard.
During the miners strike, I busked in York for the summer and made for money that working underground. I arranged for some schoolkid wind-band to play 9-10.30 every morning to keep my spot reserved, then I'd give them a fiver when I arrived and everyone was happy.
It is a feeling of achievement to get people dancing to jigs at 10.30 in the morning.
The rest of my band went busking in Leeds market two months ago and made it pay.
Whitby is good as well.
I was stuck in Mallaig, Scotland for a while in August awaiting a Rail pass to be posted to me and on the last of the week I did a little busking and the passers-by seemed very appreciative. I wish I would have thought of it earlier.
I did a nice bit of busking in Lampeter, Wales, last summer. Also, I did quite well in a little town called Llanidloes, near Newtown - which was odd, as the place was almost deserted. Don't bother with Fishgaurd, though.
My Student group "Snaustrinda" went for a round trip in Scotland around 1990, starting in Newcastle and going counterclockwise up the coast and visiting Inverness and Fort Williams. We did'nt have any gigs set up, we just went busking in the streets and had a great time.
We were touring round with a string base and quite a few accordians, - making enough racket and "noise" is usually an asset when competing with traffic...
5 years later I played with a subset of these guys at the Norway Pavillion at Epcot Centre, Florida, US, wearing the same kindof hats and knickers etc. A tourist one day came up and said she had a seen us and had pictures from our busking performance in Newcastle. It's a small, small world...
A few years later the student group went to Ireland
and had fun playing various places. On the last day they stumbled across a busking competition in Letterkenny, which they won. Suddenly they had 500 quid to party for...
I've also been busking around in Norway, seeking quiet towns. It's especially fun if there are any faires or activities going on - phoning up tourist offices along a suitable route and checking if anything special is going on before heading off is my best tip.
does anybody know what the busking laws are for Winchester, Hampshire? I would love to know as it is just down the road from me. Please reply here and/or email me at mr_fahrenheit@hotmail.co.uk
Busking in Britain
Busking in Britain
hello musos,
me and some of my friends are plannin to spend the summer travelling around this our island home and a fair few of us will be taking our instruments along for a busk as this will be our last summer before uni (and hopefully a medical course). Do any of you marvellous sessioneers have places that you have busked/ found memorable for us to visit?
Nick
the chess pieces are watching us all.
# Posted on February 6th 2004 by NickPhelan
Re: Busking in Britain
London is a bad place to start. London Transport has recently introduced licensed busking in tube stations - but that requires being in London for some length of time, so your application can be processed. Anyway, I've phoned for an application form twice and still haven't received one.
There's also licensed busking in Leicester Square and Covent Garden - I have never looked into getting a license. Those places tend to be monopolised by professional buskers, with amplification and a well-rehearsed 'act' (not necessarily musical).
I think, in general, you are allowed to busk anywhere on public property, provided you do not cause an obstruction or there are no complaints from retailers whose shopfronts you partially obscure or whose piped chart music you drown out. But most places in London are too noisy for anyone to take any notice, anyway. If a spot becomes popular with buskers, it is either made illegal or licensing is brought in.
Small towns with market places or pedestrian areas are probably a better bet.
# Posted on February 6th 2004 by ragaman
Re: Busking in Britain
No, i wasn't thinking london really for a holiday. we're toying with the idea of Cornwall area, or possibly Scotland. quaint is the idea.
# Posted on February 6th 2004 by NickPhelan
Re: Busking in Britain
If you're considering busking in Cornwall, don't forget your harmonica. Seriously.
# Posted on February 6th 2004 by Conway
Re: Busking in Britain
as long as its all kept serious i'm fine. ;)
# Posted on February 6th 2004 by NickPhelan
Re: Busking in Britain
Right outside Anfield and Goodison and you will only need to practise two tunes and the appropriate red or blue outfit. Red top, blue bottom or vice versa (for the local derby). Can we trade places age-wise?
mairtin
# Posted on February 6th 2004 by frozenstiff
Re: Busking in Britain
oh man, i'd get the crap kicked out of me. i was at the last derby. we should have won. good idea though. but anfield and goodison aren't in very nice areas. i'd need to be wearing riot gear whilst playing. and age doesn't matter!!!!
# Posted on February 6th 2004 by NickPhelan
Re: Busking in Britain
Try Prenton Park. The fans there could do with some distraction!
# Posted on February 6th 2004 by BowHand
Re: Busking in Britain
Nick - Glad to hear you weren't thinking of coming to London (although, of course, you'd be very welcome here). You've got your own fine city, so why would you want to come to this festering mouth-ulcer of a conurbation, anyway?
Cornwall and Scotland sound like better options. I did a bit of busking in Fort William and Inverness about 7 years ago, before I could play. My attempts at jigs and reels were well appreciated.
# Posted on February 6th 2004 by ragaman
Re: Busking in Britain
Scottish towns during Highland Games (May - Sep, work out your itinerary from a suitable website, most have fields set aside for tents) are generally good for buskers, lots of tourists, generally in a good and generous mood after leaving the beer tent. Usually rowdy sessions in pubs during and afterwards too, though the inevitable drunken pipers will appear. Time to go to the bar.
Watch out for Jake the Rhynie Hippie with his double-neck mando-guitar which he plays through a small portable amp while whistling through a mike. He always seems to get a few quid,
# Posted on February 6th 2004 by Bren
Re: Busking in Britain
The trouble with drunken pipers is the ten minute warm up before they even play the tune. They always get a great cheer too. Are people applauding the music or the fact that they've eventually stopped? :>))
See
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/2123
This tune is also known as "Reel of the 51st Division" in classier circles.
If you want to hear some really exciting piping, check out Fred Morrison. He's brilliant.
John
# Posted on February 6th 2004 by Johannes J
Re: Busking in Britain
In Macclesfield, every year, the council imposes on the townsfolk a special week in which people who can't play an instrument very well are stationed all down Mill Street and Chestergate, separated about three shops width, most of them with poor quality amps and/or electrically operated backing tracks. They play awful crap all day for a week and then go away again.
If you guys are any good, then about two weeks after that would probably be a lucrative time, with the possibility of being cheered and carried shoulder-high into the Bate Hall and given lots of beer.
There's a superb little cove about 5 miles south of Mallaig, between the Morar river and Camus Darach where me and my lad played for a few hours on a few days last summer. The acoustics are perfect, and walkers along the coast path can come and go as they please without disturbing you, or just sit on the rocks and listen, and there's a wonderful campsite just a few hundred yards away.
The deck of a CalMac ferry is also good for a captive audience. They must listen or sink or jump overboard.
Good luck
Dave
# Posted on February 6th 2004 by showaddydadito
Re: Busking in Britain
During the miners strike, I busked in York for the summer and made for money that working underground. I arranged for some schoolkid wind-band to play 9-10.30 every morning to keep my spot reserved, then I'd give them a fiver when I arrived and everyone was happy.
It is a feeling of achievement to get people dancing to jigs at 10.30 in the morning.
The rest of my band went busking in Leeds market two months ago and made it pay.
Whitby is good as well.
# Posted on February 8th 2004 by geoffwright
Re: Busking in Britain
I was stuck in Mallaig, Scotland for a while in August awaiting a Rail pass to be posted to me and on the last of the week I did a little busking and the passers-by seemed very appreciative. I wish I would have thought of it earlier.
# Posted on February 8th 2004 by Jennilee Martineau
Re: Busking in Britain
I did a nice bit of busking in Lampeter, Wales, last summer. Also, I did quite well in a little town called Llanidloes, near Newtown - which was odd, as the place was almost deserted. Don't bother with Fishgaurd, though.
# Posted on February 8th 2004 by ragaman
Re: Busking in Britain
My Student group "Snaustrinda" went for a round trip in Scotland around 1990, starting in Newcastle and going counterclockwise up the coast and visiting Inverness and Fort Williams. We did'nt have any gigs set up, we just went busking in the streets and had a great time.
We were touring round with a string base and quite a few accordians, - making enough racket and "noise" is usually an asset when competing with traffic...
5 years later I played with a subset of these guys at the Norway Pavillion at Epcot Centre, Florida, US, wearing the same kindof hats and knickers etc. A tourist one day came up and said she had a seen us and had pictures from our busking performance in Newcastle. It's a small, small world...
A few years later the student group went to Ireland
and had fun playing various places. On the last day they stumbled across a busking competition in Letterkenny, which they won. Suddenly they had 500 quid to party for...
http://www.stud.ntnu.no/groups/snaustrinda/snaustrinda-flyttet/fotoalbumet/irland.html
I've also been busking around in Norway, seeking quiet towns. It's especially fun if there are any faires or activities going on - phoning up tourist offices along a suitable route and checking if anything special is going on before heading off is my best tip.
# Posted on February 9th 2004 by MrGanAinm
Re: Busking in Britain
does anybody know what the busking laws are for Winchester, Hampshire? I would love to know as it is just down the road from me. Please reply here and/or email me at mr_fahrenheit@hotmail.co.uk
# Posted on February 6th 2005 by Tyrrell