Bourke Street Boys

Buskers - What do we really know about them? What are their stories?
Our team hit the streets of Melbourne to talk to those who fill them with music. We hope to find out what it means to be a busker in one of the world's most competitive cities.

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Robbie Elliott, James Howlett, and Max Missingham

The band The Elliots have been together for around five years now. They started busking after deciding that they were sick of rehearsing at various locations where they would earn little to no money. They realised if they practiced out on the street they would be given money creating a win-win situation for all; this is how it started for them, they have now been playing on Burke Street for six months.

They discovered that Bourke Street in Melbourne was the “Crown jewel” of busking, classing it as one of the best, if not the best, in the world. It is here where meetings held every week to keep all the buskers organized which is run by the council.

All buskers have to comply with a roster, playing for 4 hours each session with half an hour on than half an hour off. There are never more than four acts at once on Burke Street though The Elliotts tend to try and stick to their favourite spot. The Elliotts have played on Bourke Street with the likes of the Pierce brothers and Demi Louise.

The money the band accumulates from busking goes towards funding their travels to places overseas such as Europe so they can promote their music to others, they do this hoping people will enjoy what they hear and the band can get their names out there.

“It’s much better playing on the street as a lot of venues I think are exploiting and I guess you can’t really get the exposure and that’s why we love coming out here” Says Robbie.

“You might go to a venue and pay $10 to get in and then you might not even like the bands”. The Elliot’s play for the people on the street and say that from experience patrons will generally have no expectations “if they really like what they hear then the people will buy a CD.”

The band feels that busking is the ultimate way to put your music out there “It’s much better practice then in the lounge room”.

When asked about the future of busking, Robbie says he feels that it “really rests with the generosity of the people”. He likes to think the future for busking is bright, but is aware that a lot of businesses are making it difficult for individuals, even remarking that a lot of places in Europe have made busking extinct. The music flows within them and is a part of their lives, as musicians he says "it’s really sad as people should have an appreciation for the music out there."

“The future is hopefully solid and this is one of the best spots in Australia, there is more competition, if you are good it’s easy to stand out.”

For more information on The Elliot’s, please check out their Instagram and Facebook.

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Written by Katherine Allen

Edited by Kimberly Grima
Photography by Kate Katrina