London Underground Invites Busking Auditions

Andy Thornley
By Andy Thornley Last edited 134 months ago
London Underground Invites Busking Auditions


Ever seen a busker on the tube and thought you could do better? Talented performers may just have a chance to prove it as London Underground is now inviting auditions from musicians and singers who would like to perform to the 4 million people who use the tube each day.

London Underground operates a busking licence scheme and, with spare pitches being as rare as hen’s teeth, when they come up, competition is stiff. There are around 200 active licensed buskers currently on the scheme, plying their trade on 37 pitches in 25 different stations. Over 150 licences will be available to successful applicants following the auditions.

The judges – made up of music industry professionals, and people from both the capital’s music scene and London Underground – will be marking applicants on presentation, musical ability, repertoire and originality – so just like Britain’s Got Talent but without the gymnasts and dancing dogs.

Applicants need to be over 16, and should email busking@tube.tfl.gov.uk by 1 February 2013. The licence is free.

As we showed in our gallery in September last year, buskers in London are a diverse bunch, coming in all sorts of shapes, sizes and sounds. Perhaps we might see acts such as this chap in Newcastle, singing the theme to Doctor Who in a station near you soon.

Image by Sinister Pictures from the Londonist Flickr Pool

Last Updated 22 January 2013