Of Further Busking Adventures - Part Nine (Downham Market)

Today was a busking adventure of a slightly different kind. No.8, The Old Bookshop, was celebrating its fifth anniversary and had invited some local musicians along to play outside the shop. Since this was not on land owned by the town council I did not need to get prior permission, just turn up and play, which I did. I thought I was last on the list which began with someone called Stuart, continued with a set from the rather excellent Yve Mary B. John Preston and I turned up at the same time, so we played a song each taking turns until he had to go and I just carried on. I ended up playing for about three hours which was rather a lot of fun. As is usually the case in Downham Market, friends turn up out and listen for a bit before moving on. John sang his songs acknowledging our increasingly barmy world in his characteristically apocalyptic baritone. His guitar playing is somewhat idiosyncratic. One has often encountered bass players who ruin their playing by trying to play like guitarists. John is quite the opposite. He plays guitar like a bass player and has just added a small amp and some effects too. It is by no means the sound of his four-piece band, but it is an engaging and interesting style. 

After one of his songs a man approached who happened to be one of those experts who always have ideas about what one should have done instead. "You should sing more upbeat songs. I've been listening from across the street and you are too gloomy. No one will give you any money. People want to be cheered up, not driven to suicide!"

That was, of course, very rude of him, but he felt entitled to pronounce his judgement. He may have been listening from across the street, but I don't think he could have been listening for long because he did not seem to have registered that I was the singer of the previous song and my style is very different from John's. I don't think he had listened to John's lyrics either, because they are often double-edged and very witty. As I was waiting for him to finish he decided that we should be using our talents to write about the important stuff, like the effect of leaving the European Union. Given that most people in the town voted to leave the EU one might have assumed he was also a leaver, but it turned out he was in favour of remaining. I'd have treated him to my "Referendum Rag", but he'd had enough and wandered off.

The sun carried on shining.