Best Buskers in the UK is a blog about buskers and other street artists with a roundup of top picks.
Musicians, circus performers, living statues, jugglers and many more have been featured on this site.
The Best Buskers in the UK blog was created by artist and busker, Charlie Caper. Charlie is originally from Sweden, but has lived in London for many years. He began busking after graduating from the Royal College of Art with a Master’s degree in Fine Arts. He made all the money he needed to live with his performances.
Charlie’s blog is a place for him to share his passion for street art with the world. His aim is to get more people interested in street art and performance, particularly from countries like Sweden where busking is almost unheard of. Charlie also wants to help buskers around the world to improve their skills and make a decent living from street performances.
The blog features articles about buskers, reviews of their performances and tips for budding street artists. There are also interviews with some of the best performers around the world.
We’ve been blogging about buskers and street artists for seven years now. So here is a list of our top picks in no particular order.
Top Buskers
1. Lord of the Strings – Simon Shackleton
2. The Music Man – Eugene Portman
3. The Human Jukebox – Matt Harvey
4. Dan the Hat Man – Dan French
5. The Street Piano Man – Tickle Fingers
6. Pianoman Francelle Maria
7. Beatbox Gaz Cooper
8. The Unicycle Bandit – Duncan Westbury
We are looking for the very best buskers and street artists in the UK. We will be reviewing them and featuring them on our site.
As a live music fan, I’ve always had a soft spot for buskers. The word ‘busker’ is derived from the Spanish word ‘buscar’ which means ‘to seek’ and there are some great performers out there who will stop at nothing to find their audience.
A good busker needs to have an intimate understanding of their performance space, quickly setting up camp in a location that attracts attention without being too intrusive; they should be well practiced, able to adapt their set depending on the audience response; and they need to draw in passers by with a strong introduction and have enough material to hold their attention long enough to part with some cash (obviously!).
There are many buskers out there (some better than others) but here’s my top ten pick of the UK’s best.
1.Dizzy O’Dare
As a one-man band, Dizzy O’Dare has it all: panache, musical talent, charisma and humour. His name is taken from a character in Charlie Chaplin film but his act is all about engaging with the crowd. His complex rhythms vary from jazzy breaks to spiky beats and he can be seen performing
Busking is a musical or other artistic performance conducted in public places. In the UK busking is legal and is regulated by local councils. Buskers are generally performers of music, although increasingly we see other types of acts such as mime artists, dancers, fire eaters and jugglers. Busking spots are usually found in shopping centres, on high streets, in parks and at tourist attractions. In the UK the most famous place for buskers is Covent Garden, where there are strict rules about the quality of the acts that may perform. Some street artists prefer to remain anonymous. However, many well known musicians got their start busking including The Libertines, Ed Sheeran and KT Tunstall.
The term ‘Busking’ comes from the Spanish word ‘buscar’ which means ‘to seek’. It is a form of street entertainment that is often found in public places such as streets, parks, bus terminals and other similar venues. The act of busking is to entertain passers-by with a performance in exchange for money.
The term also has links with the word ‘busker’, which is an old Latin word meaning ‘drunkard’. This derivation relates more to the word ‘basket’, which means “a cup or bowl with a handle”. It was this type of basket that the Roman soldiers used when they were out on parade. They would have given their money to their wives or mothers, who would then put it into the basket.
When the soldiers returned from battle, they would put their money back into their baskets and go out busking again. This idea was later adopted by many people in Europe and North America, as a way of earning some extra cash for the day’s work.