Undercover soprano impresses London’s regular buskers

The mezzo soprano Katherine Jenkins yesterday treated commuters at Leicester Square London Underground station to an impromptu performance as part of a stunt for a London newspaper.

But the 45-minute busking session, which included some of her biggest hits, went unnoticed by some commuters.

Disguised in a brown wig, a knitted jumper with holes in, ripped jeans and boots, many commuters took a while to recognise the Welsh singer.

But renditions of some of her biggest hits such as Time To Say Goodbye and a cover of Evanescence’s Bring Me To Life soon attracted the crowds. Her final song, Break It To My Heart, was met with huge applause.

Afterwards, Ms Jenkins said she had enjoyed the session and that the tube station has “a great acoustic”.

Despite impressing commuters during the session organised for the Evening Standard, the paper said she “only made about £10” which she plans to donate to a homeless charity.

Coveted pitch

But Jamie West, a musician who won the Young Busker of the Year competition in 2009, said that Ms Jenkins should be very satisfied with her efforts. “In 45 minutes, that’s pretty good,” he said. “Around Christmas time people are so much more generous.”

London Underground stations which allow licensed buskers to perform are:

1. Bank
2. Bond Street
3. Canary Wharf
4. Charing Cross
5. Green Park
6. Leicester Square
7. London Bridge
8. Oxford Circus
9. Piccadilly Circus
10. South Kensington
11. Tottenham Court Road
12. Westminster

He said that Ms Jenkins also benefited from a coveted pitch. “At Leicester Square you can set up your amp so people can hear it when they are going up and down the escalator. There is only one escalator so everyone will see you.”

Mr West’s other favourite pitches include Oxford Circus and Bond Street, but he finds the pitch at Tottenham Court Road is often “too cold” and says Waterloo has too many escalators for some buskers.

While Ms Jenkins went for a mix of pop and classical favourites, Mr West favours his own material plus some rock’n’roll classics. His set includes Little Richard’s Rip it Up and Good Golly Miss Molly and Hank Williams’ Hey Good Looking.

He often does a version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah – a favourite of buskers and X-factor hopefuls alike.

However, Mr West is now on the busking scene less frequently because of his recording career, which has seen his single played on several major radio stations.

He firmly believes that busking is an excellent training ground for new musicians: “You need to play a lot in front of people,” he said. “You don’t get better unless you do that.”

Bandguru‘s best busking songs:

1. Karma Police – Radiohead
2. Wonderwall – Oasis
3. Why Does It Always Rain On Me? – Travis
4. Blister In The Sun – The Violent Femmes
5. Lola – The Kinks
6. Hotel Yorba – The White Stripes
7. With A Little Help From My Friends – The Beatles
8. You Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC
9. Hey Hey My My – Neil Young
10. Tribute – Tenacious D