Hastings ‘Buskatathon’ Take-over
On Sunday the 27th September, Stay Up Late will be taking the streets of Hastings by storm with our ‘Hastings Busking Charity Takeover’. During this ‘buskathon’, we will have a number of musicians with and without learning disabilities dotted around the streets of Hastings town centre. The idea is to bring attention to the work we do through the power of music. We will have several volunteers walking around, speaking to members of the public about why we’re here, what our charity stands for and trying to recruit potential gig buddies.
The take-over will feature an accoustic set by Delta, from Eastbourne
This event will also be extra special, because we will be showcasing ‘virgin buskers’. People who have never before had the experience of playing music on the streets, to the general public will be entering the realm of busking for the very first time.
The art of busking is a style of performance unlike any other. There is a level of intimacy in busking that is entirely unique. The word busker is slang from the root busk, “to seek to entertain by singing and dancing” probably from Spanish buscar, “to seek.” Thus, a busker seeks an appreciation of their artistic performance. The relationship between busker and audience member is different in that the audience has not sought out the performer, but the performer seeks out an audience. The audience then has the freedom to stay and observe, to give money to the entertainer for this performance without the sense of obligation to stay and get one’s money’s worth which is usually present in other models of performance. Busking is therefore a completely pure art form, the immediacy and spontaneity severs its ties to monetary value and this ever-increasing obsession with profits in the music industry.
Busking is, essentially, a beautiful thing. And we want as many people to experience it as we can get. That’s why we’re calling out an invite to all musicians, dancers, and any other performers (experienced and inexperienced in the art of busking), to take part in this event and entertain the people of Hastings for a good cause.
