Electric or acoustic guitar, drums, harmonic, cello, sax, accordion, ukulele, the Indian tabla, the Caribbean Steel drums… The range of instruments is as wide as the repertoires covering classic, trendy or original pieces.
London Underground’s buskers (street performers) have their website, where you can find out who is playing in a given station, day and time slot.
The long way home
Busking is a practice as old as history, and definitely not an easy one. Since Rome times, buskers have faced restricting laws and have been labelled as beggars or public nuisance.
Neighbours and press of the Victorian London often complained about the disturbing noise from industries, sellers, drunks, paper boys… and musicians.
In the 1800s, the musical contribution to the city’s cacophony came from organ-grinders, ballad singers, violinists, bands, bagpipers, brass players, campanologists and such rarities as glasses performers or the One Man Band.
Trends and characters are different nowadays, but street performers were banned from London Underground until 2003.
"The idea of busking maybe not very pleasant for some people, but I say that what we all do is fantastic, and most people think is amazing", says cellist Margit Van der Zwan, from Oopsie Mamushka string quartet.
Singing in the Tube
The famous cellist Julian Lloyd Webber became in 2001 the first official busker to perform on the Tube, and the definite London Underground Busking Scheme opened in 2003.
Currently sponsored by Capital 95.8 Radio Station and thelondonpaper, the scheme supports more than 400 buskers who got their licenses after passing auditions.
Across the Tube, in the tourist South Bank and in markets and spots like Covent Garden, they play for money or fun, for exploring new ways of reaching audiences and even for a break from jobs in which they cannot expand themselves.
"We are on it for the fun. There always can be a surprise around the corner," says Margit.
More than busking
Londoners last February voted Israeli Hadar Manor for Busker Queen of London’s Underground in a competition hosted by Capital 95.8.
As others, Manor has performed in Radio, clubs or festivals like Busk8 in 2005, when buskers supported the UK’s Make Poverty History campaign simultaneously to Live8 benefit concerts in several countries.
Sometimes, stars get in the mood of busking as incognito just for fun or to remember the old times. Paul McCartney tried it in 1984 and donated the taking to a charity.
American musician Moby did it last January in London’s Sloane Square and made £5 - much less than many real buskers.
Moby used to busk as student, and before him celebrities like Louis Armstrong, Bob Dylan, David Gilmour or Tracy Chapman.
Buskers have kept performing in spite of adversity throughout history. They provide today’s London a free musical background from all corners of the world.
