Brighton Busking Regulations: What is actually Allowed?

Although to busk in Brighton & Hove you don't require a licence - there are some guidelines and rules buskers need to be aware of. Being a busker myself - I will draw a comparison between my own experience and what is written by council to give you as realistic picture of busking regulations in the city as possible.

First of all - here is an official Busker Advice leaflet that I advice you to quickly read through. You can also have a look at the official page with a quick summary of rules for the buskers. Now in reality, not everything is being enforced, most "rules" are only enforced when there is a public complaint. And depending on the spot you are busking - it's good to know what you can get away with and what remains a restriction.

• Mains, battery or generator-powered amplification is not permitted (according to Busker Advice leaflet)

In reality - most of the buskers in the city are using amplification and getting away with it. There are only few spots to my knowledge where amplification is not tolerated: Gardner Street (next to Infinity Foods) only allows acoustic instruments; and so is Gloucester Road next to Kensington gardens. Another restriction on amplification includes Pavilion Gardens, but here it only applies to vocal amplification (instruments are still fine). 

Elsewhere in Brighton - simply amplify to a reasonable level and you should be fine. Also - avoid pointing your amp to the entrance of a shop or a restaurant, not a good idea.

• Drumming is not welcome in Brighton and Hove because it causes too many complaints (according to Busker Advice leaflet)

This is not entirely true. To a degree - drumming would not fit peaceful and quiet busking spots, but noisy places like Churchill Square or North Street (next to the Barclays / Poundland) are usually very well tolerated. Another good idea for drummers is to try seafront where you are not surrounded by residential homes and businesses - plenty of space out there to get loud!

• Entertainment is restricted to a maximum of one hour in one place (according to Busker Advice leaflet)

One hour rule in Brighton is advisory and often is an ethical compromise between the businesses and buskers. It is also used between buskers on the busy days when sharing a single spot. Exception to this rule however is when no one minds your playing and no other busker is willing to busk at your spot - therefore you can play longer.

Sometimes you see buskers playing in one spot for the whole day - this jazz band for example plays on East Street almost every day - all day. After years of busking, they have developed a very good relationship with the restaurants and therefore remain exceptional to this rule.

The main point with playing in one spot - avoid being repetitive (have 1 hour set), deliver high quality music and keep your volume reasonable - this should prevent you from getting complaints.

• You are not allowed to sell any recordings of your music or other items whilst busking (according to Busker Advice leaflet) 

Although it is not allowed, many buskers still choose to sell their CDs and get away with it most of the time. If you intend to sell CD's - don't do it in a very obvious way, give it a try and if someone tells you off about it - say you "didn't know". As long as you are not doing an obvious street trade, you are most likely to be left alone.

• Busking should not be conducted by cash point machines or any similar area (according to Busker Advice leaflet) 

And still - many buskers play next to the cash-points and get away with it. Some of the very common busking spots with cash-points are in Churchill Square, Duke street and a corner of Bond and North street.

• No sign shall be displayed inviting payment (according to Busker Advice leaflet) 

Although begging is a criminal offence, there is an obvious distinction between a beggar and a busker. In my opinion if you look presentable you should be fine. I have used various signs myself and never been told off  about it.

Play at reasonable level - control the volume so that it is audible only to passers-by in the immediate vicinity (..) Entertainers must stop performing immediately when requested to do so (..) (according to Busker Advice leaflet) 

Oppose to all the other regulations - something council cares about is complaints from the residents and shopkeepers. Once you get a complaint - there is nothing you can do and unfortunately you do not have the right to continue. I was asked to move once before I even started busking and refused to go, because I haven't made any noise yet... After police got involved - I simply had to leave, there was nothing I could do...

On the other hand - you can't let people take advantage of you - I had people saying to me I can't busk in certain spot or I will be charged £200 fine, or I need a licence to busk. Some people just don't like buskers and as long as they don't make an official complaint - you are fine. Tell them you are not required to have a licence and there is no £200 fee, you are not doing anything wrong. It's different when someone complains about how loud you are...

- SUMMARY -

The Busking Regulations are mainly advisory and if you didn't skip the post - you should now understand you can get away with many things. However, when someone complains to the police, ultimately you can't do much about it, but move...

My general advice here is to be reasonable and avoid complaints. If you have a short set, you can't be playing in one spot for long, keep moving every hour or you risk getting banned in one spot permanently. If you use an amp - turn it down to a reasonable level, don't try to get attention of the people by being loud. If you are not sure if you can busk in a certain spot - ask businesses around for permission. Best practise here - have at least one hour set of music, stay within reasonable volume and be aware of the businesses around.

Hope this helps - if you have anything to add to this list, please comment! :)
Don't get discouraged - and get busking!

Has anyone seen Zebra yet? ...

With every day it is getting warmer and warmer as we are slowly approaching summer! Every year it happens - I forget the difference warm weather makes and when it hits you, suddenly life feels fuller, more enjoyable with so many things to do, so many things to see... And of course - a chance to busk! Get that zebra outfit out of the cupboard, polish my amp and dive into the spring with a set of amazing piano music...

I am going All-In. Give or take - I quit my weekend job I had for the past 6 years and now busking full time. Weekends are usually the busiest days and I remember working last year on absolutely stunning days and thinking to myself: "I wish I was busking..." Honestly - it was about time to make that decision! And things haven't been bad for me either. 

Busking on Easter Sunday I was caught by a radio DJ from Juice Brighton - Kate Goddard. She mentioned me on the radio show later that day - I wouldn't even know if my friend didn't text me... Isn't that interesting I'm doing this for the third year and I still get local people seeing zebra for the first time? 

Nevertheless yesterday an interview I gave to Witness BTN was posted up on Facebook filmed by the same guy who caught me on my first day of busking as a Zebra back in 2015. It was a very good chance for me to say "Thank you" to all the wonderful people in Brighton. 

On a smaller scale - I had a wonderful gig yesterday at Life Time Value Conference in Clarendon centre. Their excuse for hiring a Zebra for a business conference was an article comparing Zebra and Unicorn type of businesses: "Zebra's Fix What Unicorns Break". Being a Zebra is cool! 

Another great thing that happened to me - someone told me I have been featured in a poem which was read on BBC Radio 4. How peculiar is that? Funny how inspiration can come from anywhere - even Zebra playing the piano like myself...

Having only started busking this year - I didn't expect so many things to happen already! Busking full time and getting this much support is definitely a tremendous motivation boost in the morning to get up and get out there busking! 

Thank you to all the people of Brighton - I'll see you around! ;) 

The Craziest Gig I Have Ever Done In My Life!

A month ago I was approached by a local night-club to play at their new themed event called "WTF" - full of crazy, quirky, nonsense things happening at the night simply because "why not?!" And Zebra playing the classical piano at the club night seemed crazy enough to give it a shot. Now frankly enough - when you go for a mad idea and have an open mind, suddenly you get a mind strafe of even more ridiculous and insane ideas... I had no clue what I signed up for! 

To begin with the weather - it wasn't one of those pleasant and lovely nights by the sea. Complete opposite - the rain was hammering down like a machine gun and the wind raging up to 80mph was not a joke at all!  Especially when you get to push a trolley with your piano and all the electrical equipment on it. Can't have an umbrella either - it will be blown away in seconds. Just watch where you going, add to your pace and pray your piano won't get soaked under the cover. 

Only 10-minute-walk down the North street, straight through the Old Steine and take right after the traffic lights to get to the Revenge club. Seems possible when you plan your journey at home with a warm cup of tea. Not that much of a fun journey when you actually get out there. Running through the rain with a heavy load, swearing at myrself for not thinking this through enough, stopping to adjust the straps of my trolley now and then and almost crashing into the girl who slips in front of my trolley at the end of the North street - what an adventure! Honestly...

Got to the club around 11:20pm all soaking wet, at least piano seems fine under the plastic cover. Security guards very helpful, quickly let me in and help carrying the gear to the second floor. I can now catch my breath while they are looking for Steve, the guy who runs the night. The music is banging through the space, lights are flickering around the hallway where I am supposed to setup and play. "Too loud though, not sure if people will be able to hear anything I play..." - I thought to myself. Steve comes around and I can see from his hesitation he now thinks the same. "There might be a better place upstairs..." he says and takes me through another set of stairs to the third floor, past the arcade machines to the narrow hallway leading straight to the glamorous Unisex Toilets. I'm laughing to myself thinking this is one of the craziest ventures of my life and at the same time it all makes perfect sense: it's way too loud downstairs, despite the actual purpose of the space, it seems more peaceful in here, the room has great acoustics and relaxing piano music would be a nice background for what people are meant to be doing in here... 

Steve is looking at me with a great hope in his eyes, but not trying to push me into it. I say: "OK, let's do it! It's going to be one of the craziest things I have ever done, but that's what this night is about!" I see relief on his face and once again he is all excited about the whole night. We get the gear into the toilet, I quickly set up, change into my Zebra onesie and do a quick sound-check before I start. The man working in the club toilets looking at me while I put my mask on, hit the piano keys and go for it like never before! The toilets fill up with the sound, surprising everyone present; Steve is laughing and I hear him saying "This is great!" 

The next two hours have been as random as "zebra playing the piano at the toilets" itself. As the night picked up, more and more people were entering the toilets every time totally amazed by what they see. Mostly youngsters - some of them confused, some of them laughing openly loud, girls in short dresses taking selfies with me; crowds going in and out the toilets constantly changing, constantly talking, laughing, shouting to one another. Some girl cries and her friends calming her down, then her boyfriend comes in and they hug. I switch to wedding march and make them laugh. Someone asks me to play something they could sing to and I play Adele. The whole toilet is now singing - both people waiting to get in and people doing their business... Same with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", same with Emeli Sande and theme from Frozen.

Some girl wants to play the piano, she sits next to me and tries to remember the chords of her favourite song. Suddenly more people want to play, six hands touching the keyboard, sound's awful - I turn everything off. No talking - zebra's don't talk. Just waiting for them all to leave and going for it again. And people take pictures, some of them leave me tips, some of them ask for Beatles, others lean over my keyboard screaming for ABBA... It's a bit of a mess, but everyone's having fun! A girl says it's her birthday and I play "Happy Birthday" song. The toilets singing again. Then it gets packed, security guards patrolling the toilets kindly ask some people to leave. The place is buzzing and a tall guy oddly asks me to play what I feel by looking at him. I'm a little confused at first, but make a joke out of it and play 50 cent "In Da Club". He's happy laughing...

Later on I switch to classical piano, playing romantic, beautiful music; it's not that packed anymore and I ease off. Security guard comes in to interrupt me - "You've done 2h now," he says. I take my mask off and take a gulp of "fresh" air. Relief! ...

*   *   *

2:15am I am walking back home and my head is still buzzing from the club noise... The wind is strong and it's still raining. I walk through the empty, wet streets recalling the whole experience and thinking to myself: "This must have been the most crazy gig I have ever done in my life!" 




Photos by Scott Mains

TOP3: Most Popular Busking Spots in Brighton

There are many busking spots around Brighton and as a busker you get a choice between variety of streets and corners. Although not a single spot is good for everyone, I encourage to try different choices to see what works best for you.

Below are my Top 3 picks of Brighton's most popular busking spots. The main criteria for this list has been amount of buskers seen on these spots. It has nothing to do with my own preference, but at the same time I have tried them all. Weather you are willing to try busking in Brighton or just curious about the topic - below is all you need to know about these spots. Down we go:

3. Churchill Square

Pros:

• Loads of people
• Loud instruments with amplification are generally very well tolerated

Cons:

• Not suitable for quiet / acoustic acts 
• People are often in a hurry and choose not to pay attention to the busker

Churchill Square is one of the busiest Brighton areas. Located next to the shopping mall, many bus stops, banks, coffee shops and other business around, Churchill Square draws great public attention and is usually fuming with people. 

Tolerated busking areas are next to the Metro Bank and sometimes Starbucks. You are not allowed to play on the actual Square, because it belongs to the shopping mall, but next to the pavement and aside in front of the bank is fine. 

Great thing about Churchill Square - there are no strong restrictions on using an amplification or playing loud instruments. And to be honest busking without an amplifier in here is pointless unless you are a living statue, mime or similar. The area is very noisy, crowded and if you are an acoustic act, it might not be the best choice for you. On the other hand - great if you are killing it on the drums like this guy. 

In my own experience when I first came to busk in Churchill Square I had no Zebra mask, it was only me and piano. I soon realized most of the people were rushing along and not really paying attention. In my head I was thinking how can I stop them, how can I get their attention? And that was beginning of how I became Zebra... Although I am more visually attractive now, I still struggle to get enough attention playing at Churchill Square. Perhaps if I played boogie-woogie it would be a different story, who knows... 

My advice would be to give it a try and compare your outcome to the other busking spots out there. That's the only way to tell if it's suitable for your act or not. Still many buskers choose to play at Churchill Square and I assume do well enough, but it's definitely not a spot for everyone.

2. Pavilion Gardens 

Pros:

• People are very open and welcoming to the buskers
• Chilled and relaxed atmosphere

Cons: 

• Vocal amplification is not allowed
• The busking rules are reinforced by security guards

Pavilion Gardens is absolutely beautiful and peaceful place to busk (have a look for yourself). Located next to the Brighton Dome and Royal Pavilion itself, it's a major tourist attraction point with many visitor-groups taking tours across the premises on daily basis. 

It is a private ground and therefore from April to October Pavilion Gardens are regulated by security guards who reinforce the busking regulations in the garden. The current rules prohibit amplified vocals (following the complaint from the businesses on East street) and encourage to share the space with other buskers. This means if you have played in the gardens for a long time and someone else comes to busk, you should let them take over. Usually a long time is  considered around 1h. Some buskers let others play and book themselves after for another hour, consequently two buskers could be swopping each other all day long, but therefore there are security guards who make sure everyone gets to play in the end. 

Even though Pavilion Gardens is a large space, the only spot buskers are allowed on the grounds is garden crossroads by the Conservation Point in front of the Royal Pavilion. Amplified instruments are fine. 

The atmosphere in the gardens is very chilled and relaxed. You get people sitting and listening to you in the gardens and also people passing by. On a sunny day gardens are packed with the people and offers a great opportunity for the buskers. 

Pavilion Gardens is my favorite place to busk. It really compliments my character and the music I play. My advice would be to respect security guards, be friendly to them and they will be friendly to you. If someone else is playing in the gardens, don't be afraid to ask how long are they playing till. Sharing space is common in here and if you don't ask, someone else will.

1. New Road

Pros:

• Variety of busking spots along the street
• Great for busking all-year-round, also evenings

Cons:

• Some busking restrictions in the middle of the street
• Sometimes competitive with other buskers

Located close to the Pavilion Gardens, Brighton Dome and Royal Theater New Road is an important link between busy North street and North lanes. There is no major traffic on the street except some delivery trucks. Street is wide open to the people with many attractive pubs and restaurants along the way. 

You get a choice between three busking spots: close to the Royal Theater (beginning of the street), close to the Studio Theater (middle of the street) and close to the Unitarian Church (the end of the street). At the moment restrictions are put in place in the middle of street where there is a sign prohibiting amplification and playing for more than 1h. The thing about this sign is it belongs to the shop-owner who sometimes doesn't like buskers and is a printout of few official regulations by Brighton and Hove city council. It remains hit and miss with this spot and the only way to find out is to give it a try. If you use an amp, I'd suggest to turn your volume down to a reasonable level and hope no one will say anything (because legally it still counts as amplification).

Coming for the North street, you'll notice there are many wooden benches along the street. Buskers often use these benches to sit while they are playing (like these guys). If you do so I'd recommend to use benches closer to the center of the street - it's closer to the people passing by. Funny enough it's offices on this part of the street that banned vocal amplification in Pavilion Gardens, but on the actual street amplification is generally tolerated very well (at reasonable volume), although sometimes you might get a complaint.  

When playing close to Unitarian Church, be aware of lunchtime / evening concerts taking place in the church. Just keep your volume reasonable if anything. It's a great spot - you get to play both for the people passing by and people having drinks in the pubs opposite the church. It's a wide open space and my advice is to move closer to the center of the street, so that it takes less effort for the people to come by and give you a coin. Here is a great example of busking at this spot.

New Road is a fairly busy all-year-round both daytime and evening time. Can't say the same about Pavilion Gardens. It's always lively with many buskers and sometimes it can get competitive. Best is to cover the beginning or end of the street - that way you get the first impression of people coming from one side. When it's three buskers on the street - I find it harder to make money.

Right opposite the Mash Tun I had my first busking trial sitting on a wooden bench and playing the piano in cold January of 2015. I played for one hour and earned over £30 wrapped up in a black jacket and white hoodie (nothing to do with Zebra). In the same spot I met a journalist from Argos newspaper who took a video of me playing for their Best Busker competition. Who would have guessed back then it was going to be me (I hate that picture by the way).

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Hope you found some useful information. If you have any relevant information or perhaps an experience you'd like to share - please leave a comment below. Thank you very much and good luck busking! 

Honeymoon Phase

My first post as a married man. As funny as it sounds - I suppose I could also say as a married Zebra. Whichever you prefer - my "Saving For The Wedding" phase has officially ended and I am left with some wonderful, life-changing memories. Exchanging vows with my current wife Henriika and celebrating our wedding in the heart of Europe, Prague, has been a really special holiday... And yes - I left "my zebra head" at home - even though it would probably look very amusing with my blue wedding tuxedo... Moving on! I am now back to Brighton and finally got my wire fixed; equipped with a new, freshly printed sign "Saving For Honeymoon" and new life ambitions I am ready to get back to business. 

Fortunate enough, the weather in Brighton has been very generous with lots of sunshine and little wind since we came back from Prague. Every day I was getting a little temptation to go out and busk, but since I hadn't fixed my wire, there was no way I could possibly do it without it. I went to Maplin's to get a replacement and they didn't have a particular peace in store, so they ordered one via post. While I was waiting, I made a new busking sign using the same design with few changes and got it printed by the time the wire arrived. Well equipped I was finally ready to dive into the world of "black and white" once again after a decent break. 

I didn't want to do a whole lot today, just few hours in the morning was good enough for me. I came down to gardens around 10am and took my time to set up with no rush. It felt nice to be out again: fresh air, sound of seagulls and people walking past in a relaxed manner. Much better than sitting in a flat and waiting for a gig to come through, especially in such a nice day.

I began playing a little worried I forgot some tunes, but it all came back to me pretty quick. I made few additions to my repertoire; usually it takes time for me to memorize the new peaces as I can't read sheet music in the mask. The best addition has been Wagner's Bridal March. I got few extra tips for that and one lady said it's hers 40st wedding anniversary today. I suppose many people are having wedding anniversaries around this time - this was a good choice.

Dave came around to congratulate me with the wedding. He was happy to see me and gave me a £5 note for the honeymoon. He also bought me a a new jack lead from Maplin's worth £12.99. Honestly - he gives me too many gifts and tips. I am now trying to pay him back in the same way, I even bought him a new phone. However it only made him buy me even more gifts and I don't see the end to it. I'll have to think harder on this one...

Some old lady took my business card while I was playing and asked me "if I am affordable". I said I believe I am. She then asked me some booking information - seems like I might get a gig at some point.

Speaking about bookings - I actually did my first "Zebra wedding gig" on Sunday. It was a lovely South African couple, they said there are many Zebras out there and they wanted to add some authenticity to their wedding reception. The wedding was based in Wagner Hall, very close to where I live and I had to play in the garden. There were many people and about 6 kids. Everyone very much enjoyed my playing and I got some very nice feedback from the guests. I actually have few more weddings lined up in September and I am very happy for that. It's a great experience for me as a pianist. 

Not much to add about today - it was a good warm-up for tomorrow. It's going to be a very sunny day all day and I have nothing else planed, but busking. Got to make the most out of it while summer is still here! 

Two Days Before Weekend!

The past few days went extremely well; my wedding is coming up already next week and I decided to make the most out of it while I can. While Thursday I managed to push over 5 hours, today my plan got crashed by a dodgy wire connection... Hopefully nothing serious. Overall - very pleased with the result and happy about the sunny and cheerful weather in Brighton. 

On Thursday I came out early around 10am, it was a cloudy morning with a cold breeze and garden was empty because of the water spray system set up for the grass. Not the best busking conditions, but I hoped I'll manage to get enough attention of people passing through the gardens. Also tourist groups are often already there at 10am doing tours around the gardens - at least you get them if no one else. 

While I was setting up, Ben showed up looking sleepy with a paper cup of coffee in his hand. If he came only 5 minutes ago, he would have got the spot, but this time I was luckier. I invited him to come around after 1 hour and recommended Bond street as an alternative. He thanked me and left wishing me a good day. 

As I started to play, suddenly a crowd gathered around me out of nowhere. I guess the whole zebra thing really brings attention. I should know it by now... Dave came along not long after, crowd changed and disappeared at some point, then again picked up and vanished almost like coming in waves. It was pleasant playing in the morning and witnessing the gardens gradually waking up. 

Ben came a bit later and I had a chance to play for 15-20 minutes more. That little extra always helps. To my surprise he said he only made £6 on Bond street. I felt for him. Busking doesn't always work the same for everyone, I guess you need to find your own way, how and when it works for what you do. At least he could play after me in the gardens.

Another guitar player came at the same time and I took a nice photo of everyone including Dave - that's a little example of how busker's negotiations look like:

After that I went to TESCOs with Dave to buy a good, healthy lunch (I'm on the pre-wedding diet at the moment...) and we went off to Bond street. As always before I started I went inside the Tobacco shop to get a permission. To my surprise there was another man behind the counter I have never seen before. He had a very wide smile and welcoming, friendly manner; he greeted me with what seemed to me like an Italian accent and explained to him about my busking. He didn't mind at all and told me he's looking forward my piano playing (I hope he enjoyed Ludovico Einaudi...)

Busking on Bond street went really well - I was trying to get people's attention with comic, loud, happy tunes and then reached for their heart by following with very musical, beautiful peaces. And it worked. A family with parents and teenage girl set up opposite me in a pub and they became my main audience. I played all my repertoire to them until eventually I "ran out of material" and they left giving me a good tip. Eventually I played for 1,5h (because Tobacco shop didn't mind at all this time) and stopped to have a lunch.

I shared some of my healthy meal with Dave, we were sitting across the street and watching my piano with a zebra mask lying on it. It was funny to see people not noticing me at all without the mask even though I still had my zebra trousers on. Instead they were passing by and looking around wondering where did zebra go. At some point few teenage girls came to the piano, they were looking for the money (I put a zebra blanket across it), one of them lifted the blanket up and they dropped few coins in there. I thought it was very nice and thoughtful of them to come back and still give me money even though I wasn't there...

After a good lunch we moved to the gardens, but it was busy, so we went to East street instead. There I met Ben - he just finished his set. Unfortunately it didn't go well here either. And he didn't feel good competing with the Jazz Band just around the corner. We talked about how unfair it is to other buskers - they play there every day for the whole day. If you tell them you want to play after them, they'd say it's all booked from now on; other people are already coming after. Or it would be fair to say "joining in". Sometimes I see them having long hour breaks where other buskers could potentially come and play, but spot is literally still taken because they leave their instruments lying around there... It is not fair, but what can I do? What can Ben do? Unless we all start interfering in their daily routine and get an hour each, nothing will change. But is it worth the hassle? Someone will have to have "that argument" with them at some point and tell them how it should work to benefit all the buskers... To be that guy - you need to have some guts. And I don't think I am brave enough myself... 

I played on East street for 2.5h with a half an hour break in between. I did very well. Halfway through I was having a back pain - it's not good to play for very long, but I really wanted to push it for the wedding. Here is little video and picture from Instagram feed:

The world of black & white.

A video posted by @sodamy4u on Aug 11, 2016 at 2:53pm PDT

Guys, I've found the man of my dreams. #mellowzebra #Brighton

A photo posted by annaL 🇮🇹🇬🇧 (@moshimoshibox) on Aug 11, 2016 at 7:40am PDT

 *   *   *

Today (on Friday) I came to the gardens surprised how beautiful and sunny it is. Many people were already sitting on the lawns enjoying the sun and constant flow of people was going through the crossroads. I happily set up just to find out my piano is not turning on... It took me some time to figure out what's the problem - the wire of DC adapter has gone loose. I did my best to fix it and it worked (for some time)...

After playing for an hour I had a little break to help my fiancee set up on the New road. She decided to give it another go and was more than happy to help. I ran back to my spot where I left all my equipment with the guards to find no one has come to take over yet. Very unusual for such a sunny day. 

I kept playing and people were very responsive. One little French girl wanted to give me a kiss on a cheek. I told her it's my first kiss as a Zebra. Dan, one of my piano students, was passing by with his son and wife - that was a pleasant surprise. Few minutes later - my piano turned off on it's own again!

It sounded like amp is running out of batteries, because the keyboard was still on. But after I changed the batteries, piano started switching off on its own... I think it must be the wire. Unfortunately I didn't have a replacement on me, so I stopped busking after playing for 1.5h. 

I called it a day and together with Dave we went to listen to Henriika's (my fiancee) busking. She wasn't doing very bad and it was very pleasant to listen to her singing. Generally it's not particularly great when there are another 2 buskers along the same street; considering this fact she did quite well for the day.

*   *   * 

I really enjoyed busking these two days before the weekend. The only downside is I got some annoying back pain now, but still happy. I beat my personal best on Thursday earning the most I ever did in one day. And Friday didn't seem less promising... If not the wire - it could have been very close, especially because Pavilion gardens were completely free. Until I fix the wire - no busking for me. Got to do it asap!! 

Busking at i360

After a rather active pride weekend, Brighton and frew rather cold and cloudy days today we are lucky enough to get a Tuesday full of sunshine. The crowd is out, lots of tourists around. Thousands of people have already visited i360 and more keep coming ahead. When it comes to busking - it all sounds very promising with a potential to earn few quid...

I came to Pavilion Garden around 11:50am surprised to find out no one was busking yet. Garden seemed busy with constant flow of people. I set up right in front of the "Conservation Area" sign as usual and because I already had few kids waiting for me to start, I began my set with a "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Pretty much straight away I got the crowd around me and kids dancing and laughing in the middle. 

Five minutes later Ben came around with his guitar. I kindly asked him to come back in one hour. Not long after Dave showed up with a big smile and camera hanging from his neck: "I got some pictures and DVDs for you!" He put them in my bag and stepped aside. Then my fiancee showed up for her lunch break and we had a little chat.

Today I had few rather disturbing experiences with the kids and one of them happened in the gardens. A girl came over to me and stood on my right side staring at me with a very serious face. I kept playing without saying anything. She was still there after some time, so I decided to offer her a "high five". Suddenly she made this hysterical scream and ran away from me as fast as she could. That was still a funny part. After that she came back, stood in the same position and told me "Zebras don't play piano", I kindly replied "I do!". After that she suddenly slapped my mask as hard as she could and announced "Zebras don't talk!" I was so shocked with her reaction I didn't know what to say - she seemed very annoyed. I just ignored her look and she walked away in a very angry manner. "Some kids are weird.." I thought...  

After I finished my hour, Ben came around with a slim, blonde girl. At first I thought they'll busk together, but then he explained he is just showing her around Brighton busking spots the same way she once showed him around Bath. It's quite interesting to meet buskers from other towns, I would like to go around myself one day and see other places. I decided to sit down in the gardens, listen to her playing and have my lunch with Dave. 

While I was eating my sandwich, I slowly browsed through the pictures Dave gave to me earlier. There were around 30 pictures he took from different days mixture of both color and black and white. What I thought of his pictures was they were amazing. Intentional or not - he always manages to capture the most genuine moments of what is happening when I busk. Dave has literally captured all my journey from when I only started busking to now and I am very grateful to him for these printed memories. Below is one of these pictures he gave to me today. Perhaps one day I can scan them all and make a gallery on my blog. 

On my way out from the gardens, a lady stopped by and told me there have been thousands of people visiting i360 and perhaps while they are waiting in the que, I could provide them with a little entertainment. The whole i360 thing was very tempting for me, I thought if I ever want to find out if it's a good busking spot, there is no better time than now. I thanked the lady for the advice and turned my way to the seafront. 

When I got there I found a very nice observation area right in front of the tower. I asked a staff member for a permission to busk, she wasn't really aware of any busking regulations on the site and advised to give it a go until someone says anything. I was feeling shy on the new spot unsure where to set-up, The spot next to the que seemed good enough to give it a go and I went for it.

It didn't take long until some kids came over and gave me some coins, bet adults on their own seemed not very impressed. Only very few stopped by and gave me a tip. The que on my left was very long, but the problem is even if I am entertaining them while they are waiting, they're not going to quit the que to give me money - too much effort telling everyone around they'll be back in a moment and trying to get out and back from enclosure. Besides after playing in the spot for 20 minutes, I got asked to move away from the site closer to the road.

I was puzzled weather it's going to be good busking here, but it took so long to get here, I decided to give it another try. The second spot I found was much closer to the que and the entrance of the ticket office. I played there for about 1 hour to really test it out. It wasn't going particularly bad, but it wasn't great either. At least I could see more people were listening to me and enjoying the music. Four kids came around and kept me company for more than 20 minutes. I treated them as my main audience and kept doing funny things to make them laugh. It helped to have them around - at least I didn't feel alone next to this massive que. 

Would I go to i360 again? I am not particularly sure. Perhaps if I set up somewhere on the way out instead of the way in, people would be more appreciative and won't feel restricted coming along and giving me some money. After all - it wasn't too bad busking there, but generally I do better when I'm in town. 

My last busking spot for today was East Street crossroads. I got there at 4pm, the spot was glittering in sunshine inviting me to play. I quickly set up and started playing. It felt like home again. People were stopping by listening to my playing, many people taking pictures and videos, kids greeting zebra and laughing. It all made sense again and I felt really relieved. Until...

Another disturbing kid experience happened here when bunch of kids stopped in front of my piano and a little boy kept asking me "if I am gay?". I had to stop playing and hit some low notes to show I don't like his persistence, but he kept on going. It took some time until his mom finally came over and told him off "it was very rude thing to do".

Later on my fiancée brought me a sandwich and right the the same time someone was taking a video of me playing. This was posted in Instagram later today (you can see her standing on my right): 

It's not everyday you see a zebra playing a piano. #mellowzebra #brighton #piano #musician #busker #brighton #strange #funny

A video posted by Tim Porter (@tjpfilm) on Aug 9, 2016 at 11:06am PDT

I finished playing at 6pm, happy to go to bank. After all it wasn't that bad at all, but hard to say how much exactly I made at i360 and how much elsewhere. Perhaps it wasn't that average after all, but who knows... Some things are there to remain a mystery.