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Busk-off: Pressure’s on as student bids for
Tube pitch
FIVE years ago Eric Lajoie couldn’t strum a single note.
The Maida Vale architecture student turned his guitar case upside down yesterday (Thursday) and wailed out Coldplay covers in a bid to win a permanent busking pitch on the Tube.
The 25-year-old competed in a 10-way “busk-off”, in the final round of a competition organised by the Mayor of London.
“It’s funny because I’ve only played a couple of open mic nights. I’ve certainly never busked, but it’s something I would love to do. The feeling in the last round of standing at the bottom of Marble Arch escalators and playing was incredible. All the other competitors have been playing a lot longer than me, most of them have MySpace pages and some even have CDs. The pressure is definitely on,” he said
Mr Lajoie, originally from Alberta in Canada, was encouraged to send in a YouTube demo video to the competition by his friends. So far Coldplay’s Vida La Vida has seen him through the competition.
Mayor Boris Johnson said: ‘Our city boasts many talented young musicians and this is certainly reflected in the immense quality of our busking finalists. My Rhythm of London campaign aims to nurture the capital’s aspiring musicians and I want to congratulate every finalist for their hard work in getting this far. ”
The winner is to be announced tonight (Friday). |
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