Subway station auditions: London is looking for street musicians
Published: Tuesday, Mar 12th 2024, 07:47
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London's transport companies have their own casting system. Only those who make it through are allowed to sing in subway stations. After a long break, a jury is now selecting new musicians for the first time in seven years.
Even Paul McCartney is said to have stopped in London to tip a singer. The British metropolis is known for its street musicians, known as "buskers" in English. The transport companies even have their own selection system - if you want to play officially in one of the subway stations, you have to pass an audition.
Around 450 applications were received and more than half of those interested were invited to audition by Transport for London (TfL). They had to perform in front of a jury on a trial basis on dates over the past two weeks. The candidates had a maximum of ten minutes.
With Johnny Cash to the casting
During the week, it's just before 10.00 am. The trains are no longer so full that you have to stand close together, but the school classes are now on the move. South of the Thames is Southwark station, whose name is almost certainly mispronounced by newcomers to the city. It sounds right if you swallow a few letters. An escalator leads down from the street.
Nick Woods (30) sings Johnny Cash. He has already performed in other parts of England, but London is of course a great hotspot. Besides his full-time job, music is a hobby, he says. He doesn't want to put himself under pressure to earn a living with it. Musician Zemphy (27), on the other hand, works full-time as an artist and already plays at major train stations in the evenings alongside her gigs.
The "Tube" is the oldest subway in the world
Now the musician from Ireland also wants to play at the stations of the "Tube", as Londoners call the subway. As the oldest subway train in the world, it began operating in 1863 - back then as the "Metropolitan Railway" with just a few stations. To date, around 200 musicians have been allowed to book themselves into a schedule on the subway network. Now the jury is choosing who should be added.
The rules in Zurich, for example, are different to those in London. Artistic performances are only permitted in certain areas and at certain times in the city on the Limmat, as can be seen on the city's website. Musicians are not allowed to stay in one place for longer than 30 minutes. They are also only allowed to collect money passively, for example by placing a hat on the ground.
Many Londoners no longer use cash
Something else stands out in London's cityscape. A number of musicians have not only put up signs to advertise their Instagram profiles or other online sites, but also small card readers. In the British capital, people now often pay by card. Some cafés, for example, no longer accept coins or bills. If you want tea, you have to pay by card.
Street musicians also adapt to this. Not everyone necessarily likes the idea. "I like the idea of playing for spare change that people have to spare," says Woods. That's the way it's always been historically and culturally. When he performs in public places, he appreciates the atmosphere. People would stop and watch, often coming from all over the world.
Artist Zemphy feels similarly. She says she once played an Irish song during Pride Weekend and around 20 lesbian women started dancing, which was one of the best moments of her life. "There's nothing better than a smile from someone," she says. "These little things mean a lot more than money, to be honest." Such moments, she says, are much more fulfilling.
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