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London
LittleBearPad · 01/04/2025 00:19

Why do they need to busk with huge amplifiers?

Leicester Square’s grotty in the first place without really loud shit buskers.

Needmorelego · 01/04/2025 00:32

The ones I see performing there are usually terrible - if we are going to be honest.
There's always a large crowd circled around them watching so you can't walk through. Leicester Square is crowded enough already without having to squeeze through these crowds.

HeddaGarbled · 01/04/2025 00:41

It’s the buskers that have changed, isn’t it? It used to be a student with a violin or an unemployed person with a guitar, both with a bit of talent, making a few bob. Now, it’s some sharp-elbowed chancer with no talent trying to rip off tourists.

Newmeagain · 01/04/2025 00:48

I agree a lot of them are now just creating really terrible noise pollution. I was thinking about this a few months ago when I had to go to Oxford street for something on the weekend. There were a few people quite close to each other with huge amplifiers. The noise level was quite unbearable.

Meadowfinch · 01/04/2025 00:51

'ruin' in whose opinion?

Leicester Square is pretty awful at times anyway. Perhaps changes will improve it.

FictionalCharacter · 01/04/2025 01:18

HeddaGarbled · 01/04/2025 00:41

It’s the buskers that have changed, isn’t it? It used to be a student with a violin or an unemployed person with a guitar, both with a bit of talent, making a few bob. Now, it’s some sharp-elbowed chancer with no talent trying to rip off tourists.

And a speaker with a backing track playing very loudly! Most of them now are completely talentless.

Raquelos · 01/04/2025 02:01

The grift that I hate the most is when some chancer mimes on a violin to a piece of classical music blasted through a speaker. The absolute fucking audacity of it infuriates me.

Bodonka · 01/04/2025 07:06

I find some of the musical performances are good! But the street performers (acrobatics etc) tend to have a lot of swearing/inappropriate comments. DS loves stopping to watch but the last one mimicked kidnapping a child volunteer and I actually felt sick - we only stop at the musicians now.

BrokenLine · 01/04/2025 07:08

Leicester Square couldn’t be ‘ruined’ if a giant attacked it with a mammoth sledgehammer.

Agree entirely that the buskers Thete are generally (1) poor and (2) over-amped.

GrammarTeacher · 01/04/2025 07:10

It’s the amps that need to go.

camelfinger · 01/04/2025 07:12

Busking is wonderful. Loud amps and excessive backing tracks are not and it’s these that ruin London (and other places).

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