CUE: Lots of the world’s top-tier talent start their performing careers in street performing, with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Rod Stewart and Eddie Izzard all trying their hands at it early in their careers. But what is it that makes them want to do what they do. I spoke to street performers in London’s Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus to find out.

IN: Street Performers

OUT: . . . blog post

DUR: 3:27

Street performing is one of the most inspiring professions with hundreds of them filling the streets of London every day to the point where they almost become commonplace. Many of them can sometimes go overlooked but performing on the street isn’t as silly as it might sound at first with many now household names such as Ed Sheeran, Rod Stewart and Eddie Izzard all starting out as street performers.

So I went out to the streets of London in popular places such as Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus to find the street performers of today who may become the stars of tomorrow.

Fandango (Flute and Strings)

One of the most charming acts I managed to speak to were Fandango (Flute and Strings) who perform regularly in Covent Garden and are known for being very animated performers. They spoke about how the immediacy of street performing makes it different from any other type of performance. I’ve attached a video that shows how animated they can get!

Fredy Beats

Fredy Beats is a unique street performer as well as a budding YouTuber with an inspiring story about how he quit his job, bought a microphone and a speaker and went out on the street and started doing what he loved. He spoke about some of the troubles he can have as a street performer such as his money troubles and how the police sometimes come to stop him but it doesn’t stop him from living his best life. I’ve attached a video created by Fredy that showcases his talents. He can be found performing all over London but I discovered him in Piccadilly Circus.

The Silver Lady

The Silver Lady can be found in Covent Garden posing as a statue along with her levitating partner. She is very happy to take pictures especially with the younger audience members but also seems to get a kick out of scaring them while posing.