Grafton Street Buskers

Kooli · 20-08-2012 10:14am

I think there are some great buskers from time to time, but lately everyone's being drowned out by big bands with huge amplification.

I remember going into Marks and Spencer one evening and on my way in there was this fabulous male choir just outside. Older fellas, fabulous tight barbershop-style harmonies. Loved it. Went in and picked up a few bits in M&S and by the time I left, a big rock bank had set up 20 metres away at a massive volume, so the choir had to go.
So basically that whole half of Grafton Street was now drowned out by a band.

The other thing I HATE is those sand dogs, don't know if they've been mentioned (didn't read the whole thread). How come they are always just finished, with just the finishing touches being added? Has anyone seen them being started off, or even half-way done? I always want to kick it as I'm going past, to reveal the dog-shaped plastic casing underneath!

Larianne · 20-08-2012 3:23pm

He did a pig with piglets in the sand on Saturday.

The Hill Billy · 20-08-2012 3:49pm

Max___Power wrote: »

The best thing about Grafton was The Riptide Movement u plonker giblet!!! Get that stuffing outa ur ears ya giblet!!! And for the record, anyone who calls themselves "Giblet", can hardly go around takin the piss outa anyone, especially thee hardest working band in the country!! I'd actually have a little bit of respect 4 u if u changed ur name to " Gob****e"!! At least then everyone would no who their dealing wit!!

Take a week off to calm down & read the forum charter. Personal abuse is not tolerated on this site. Carry on like this & your access privileges may be removed permanently.

tHB

Kooli · 20-08-2012 3:51pm

Larianne wrote: »

He did a pig with piglets in the sand on Saturday.

When you say he did it, did you actually see him do it? Or was he just smoothing the corners and adding the finishing touches while you were there?

Larianne · 20-08-2012 4:39pm

Kooli wrote: »

When you say he did it, did you actually see him do it? Or was he just smoothing the corners and adding the finishing touches while you were there?

Nope , of course not! :pac: Although my friend said she did see him starting out a dog sculpture before. I'm still not convinced. :cool:

alltacht · 20-08-2012 8:30pm

The buskers are all well and good... unless you work on grafton street.. and the same guy is outside your shop every day.. singing the same three songs over and over. I console myself in thinking how much worse it must be for him :P (And sometimes thankfully someone else might rob his spot for a day!)

Beefy78 · 21-08-2012 10:07am

alltacht wrote: »

The buskers are all well and good... unless you work on grafton street.. and the same guy is outside your shop every day.. singing the same three songs over and over. I console myself in thinking how much worse it must be for him :P (And sometimes thankfully someone else might rob his spot for a day!)

Yeah, a couple of years ago I had to pop down to the Carphone Warehouse on Grafton Street on my lunchbreak. I had to queue up for ten minutes on a very hot day and was getting a little tetchy anyway which wasn't helped by the fact that outside the front door was the single worst busker I've ever seen or heard.

He spent (I swear) eight minutes stumbling through his rendition of 'Eight Days a Week'. It's a two and a half minute song. He managed to stretch it out so long because every time he made a mistake with the lyrics or a line of the tune he'd start that line again. He'd repeat some lines so many times that it almost sounded like he was rapping.

I felt very sorry for the people working in that shop that day having to listen to that.

Boulevardier · 21-08-2012 10:21am

I've begun to suspect that some buskers have decided to earn-while-they-practice.

I've also decided the nice harp lady on College Green is my favourite act, but I'm not sure that counts for this Grafton St thread.

In any case, An Bord Busc will hopefully begin to regulate repetitive playing.

Aard · 22-08-2012 12:06pm

Boulevardier wrote: »

I've also decided the nice harp lady on College Green is my favourite act, but I'm not sure that counts for this Grafton St thread.

She's one of the good ones. There's also the accordion lady, who seems so unassuming and yet is there pretty much every time I'm around Grafton St. I'm not a huge fan of that kind of music, but I prefer to hear it than some of the younger guys with guitars, or indeed those amplified eejits around Marks and Spencer.

cloud493 · 22-08-2012 1:03pm

I was on Henry street yesterday, the chalk guy was there writing all over the pavement, taking over a fair bit >.<

smeedyova · 02-09-2012 7:12pm

And it's not just the buskers with the amps on Grafton Street who might be causing the public serious hearing damage but also HMV. Who do they think they are with their massive speakers out on the street blasting music that can sometimes be heard more than a block away? That shop had hurt my ears as I've walked by. Seriously. Not to mention Tower Records, their music is often so loud that you can hear it when in front of M&S. They should be fined for this and it should be banned.

Axolotl · 03-09-2012 1:07am

desertcircus wrote: »

Is atonal-singing-and-stick-banging person still going? Could never figure that out...

You see him the odd time, I think. A friend of mine asked him what the deal was, and he said (in extremely dodgy English; he's japanese apparently) that he's performing a traditional Shinto blessing on the area..!

Ray Mond · 10-09-2012 1:46pm

Walked down grafton street saturday seen some girl across from river island singing with a guitar - unbelievable seriously!! I never really listen to the buskers but she was great. Puts her own touch on songs but sounds unreal. , needs to be signed up any1 know who she is ? Only young too.

Rhand · 10-09-2012 7:23pm

Ah heyor, leave it ouh!

jack presley · 10-09-2012 7:24pm

Ray Mond wrote: »

Walked down grafton street saturday seen some girl across from river island singing with a guitar - unbelievable seriously!! I never really listen to the buskers but she was great. Puts her own touch on songs but sounds unreal. , needs to be signed up any1 know who she is ? Only young too.

You wouldn't be her agent/relation by any chance?

Ray Mond · 10-09-2012 7:44pm

jack presley wrote: »

Ray Mond wrote: »

Walked down grafton street saturday seen some girl across from river island singing with a guitar - unbelievable seriously!! I never really listen to the buskers but she was great. Puts her own touch on songs but sounds unreal. , needs to be signed up any1 know who she is ? Only young too.

You wouldn't be her agent/relation by any chance?

If I was I wouldn't be asking who she was u idiot

jack presley · 10-09-2012 7:48pm

Ray Mond wrote: »

If I was I wouldn't be asking who she was u idiot

Ah relax will ya, i was only having a laugh. It's the oldest trick in the book someone looking for publicity writing something about themselves pretending they're an interested bystander or whatever.

cloud493 · 10-09-2012 7:48pm

Unless this was a clever ploy to draw attention to her :pac:

jack presley · 10-09-2012 7:49pm

cloud493 wrote: »

Unless this was a clever ploy to draw attention to her :pac:

Exactly. And said much better than my attempt above!

Leftyflip · 10-09-2012 8:12pm

Anyone see the Asian chapped wearing a duck hat, slapping a guitar and generally looking fairly stupid on Grafton Street on Saturday. Had some sort of squeaky toy under his foot too. Had to look twice, thought I was seeing things.

Tripp · 10-09-2012 8:56pm

Leftyflip wrote: »

Anyone see the Asian chapped wearing a duck hat, slapping a guitar and generally looking fairly stupid on Grafton Street on Saturday. Had some sort of squeaky toy under his foot too. Had to look twice, thought I was seeing things.

Yup seen him too and i was like WTF am i seeing, had to look a couple of times to make sure i hadnt gone mad! He had a big croud too.
Then i seen the Council sweeper removing all the chalk guys "work" heh.

Rhand · 11-09-2012 12:04am

He's often on Henry Street too, pretty funny but it'll wear off soon.

WoundedRhino · 21-04-2013 12:15am

Sorry to resurrect a dead thread, but hoping someone might know the answer to this.

I stood and watched a really good band on Grafton Street this afternoon, 4 or 5 foreign lads, a double bassist, a fiddler, a guy playing some weird percussive instrument, a bit like a xylophone with metal bars that he hit with sticks, and possibly an accordion player. Kinda jazzyish, swingish. Hard to describe. Anyway, I took a mental note of their name so I could check them out at home then promptly forgot it again. I'm sure it was Balkani something or other. Anyone know?

Ravelleman · 21-04-2013 1:09am

WoundedRhino wrote: »

a guy playing some weird percussive instrument, a bit like a xylophone with metal bars that he hit with sticks

Don't know their name but the instrument is a hammered dulcimer.

krieture · 21-04-2013 1:15am

Had friends visiting from Germany. Gave them a walking tour which including Grafton Street. Cringed at how ****e all the music was. Fully support a licence system. Its not the first time ive walked down that road with my head down.

Some people are literally taking the piss.

belcampprisoner · 21-04-2013 1:18am

I enjoy them you know u2 used to busk in the dandelion market they were crap,could not play,one would jump out with a guitar and block you while you were passing

look at them now

krieture · 21-04-2013 1:32am

belcampprisoner wrote: »

I enjoy them you know u2 used to busk in the dandelion market they were crap,could not play,one would jump out with a guitar and block you while you were passing

look at them now

Ive no problem with enjoying the "music". After living in dublin for many years i consistently find that the buskers ****e. I understand that it is part of the scene . A process of their evolution. It gives them confidence, the ability to perform infront of crowds, but we aren't in the 80's.

You mentioned U2. Great band with some great tunes. But things change. The way people buy, react and listen to music has changed. We are living a different era....

kylith · 21-04-2013 10:27am

It's the crowds that bug me. Grafton street is not very wide, and the groups of people standing looking at the buskers clogs the whole place up. Whatever happened to dropping a few pence in their hat as you go past? Now people are hanging around like it's a festival, or maybe they just want to get their money's worth.

cloud493 · 21-04-2013 12:32pm

Saw some bloke on thursday who limbo-ed under a pole he set on fire. Apparently he travels round doing it, can't be a bad act so.

WoollyRedHat · 21-04-2013 12:42pm

Some of the ones that are rubbish and don't have a note in their head were sent out of the house by their mammies and told to take their awful electric guitars or whatever instrument have you, with them. If these lads had jobs, their mammies wouldn't have to inflict the pain of their music onto the masses. So that's the recessions fault too.

Pandoras Twist · 21-04-2013 12:46pm

Most of the buskers that are useless are still of school or college going age.

I think its great that they're there. Some are good, some are bad but that's part of the spirit of it. You have a giggle at the bad ones as you're going past and then you enjoy the ones that are good.

Having to get a licence might stop some acts from ever starting out, whether through shyness or the effort involved.

rolliepoley · 21-04-2013 1:37pm

They should designate one of the side streets for the buskers and put a tariff on them if they want to inflict their noise on people.

Doublelime · 21-04-2013 1:40pm

When I was on grafton street about a month ago a half naked black women lit a fire and was dancing around it. You could see the smoke from far away. There were about 50 people watching blocking half the street.

Stereomaniac · 21-04-2013 1:45pm

Sounds like something I would watch if I was passing by and it caught my eye. To each his own. I was raging that I missed Frank Black busking at the gates of Stephen's Green in 2008.

Grafton Street Buskers

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