BUSK: A Retrospective, Manchester 2004-2013
“Gig Cancelled”
I can’t remember the venue’s reason, I can just about remember the venue itself (The sadly-missed Music Box on Manchester’s Oxford Street, downstairs from Jilly’s Rockworld – now a Tesco). But I do remember it being a big deal.
Spring 2004, and there was no social media. We couldn’t just cancel. We had people coming to the show, probably the last chance the band (which would later become Optional Wallace) would play before all the Uni exams started. Which, at that point, was most of our audience.
I remembered that Font, just over the road, by the station, did free hire of the downstairs space. And they had a PA. They were keen; ‘Do what you want,’ pretty much. Danny (Brabazon, singer with Optional Wallace) has busked around Europe, he can do a solo set, the band can play, and then we’ll all DJ as we pack down. Perfect.
The gig and the night seemed to go well. So well, in fact, the venue approached Danny, who recalls being asked about, “repeating the acoustic performance aspect of it, and if nobody turns up, to just play the longest busking set I could manage.”
By the time of the next week’s band rehearsals, they’d printed out loads of flyers ‘BUSK – Last Wednesday every month’
Every month?! Nice one.
Danny asked me if I’d sing three songs, covers would be fine, to help out the opening night. I’d only ever sang backing vocals… I agreed, to help out, and fretted over some songs to play. Meanwhile, Danny was recruiting friends, acquaintances, acts to perform, “Mainly from other acoustic nights in Chorlton, at The Jockey and Iguana Bar.”
On the night, there was a buzz upon entering; the glass-fronted venue allowing all the Spring evening sun to seep through to the upstairs bar, lots of people chatting, drinking, holding instruments. A good sign, as preparations began down beyond the spiral staircase to the performance space.
The night was a success, and quickly became an established monthly event. Hours of live music, performers of different styles, but high quality. It flew by. (My own debut set included ‘Friday I’m In Love’ by The Cure – the plan of people joining-in and taking over vocal duties worked a treat.)
As well as finding acts to play, promoting, and performing ourselves, we quickly honed our skills on set-up, sound, hosting, scheduling, stage management, communicating to the acts, and making sure people felt prepared and comfortable to play – not just told “you’re on” at a moment’s notice. Everyone got three songs, a cover was preferred (in keeping with the BUSK theme as per Font’s vision for the night) but not essential. Everyone was introduced, and again announced and applauded when coming off-stage. We felt that artists would give a better performance if they felt wanted, welcomed and appreciated… Whatever the reasoning, it seemed to work. I remember looking up the stairs at a queue of people holding instruments waiting to say hello and ask if there was a slot to play.
And some, well loads really, of the acts over the years were fantastic. Absolutely phenomenal. Including some things I just would not have seen or heard otherwise. Years later, when digesting how many great acts we’d had, I tried to make a record of everyone that had performed (see below), but there’s doubtless gaps. Happy for readers to help fill some blanks!
That winter, there was a tsunami in the Indian Ocean, devastating Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. My employer kindly offered to match any donations towards the relief fund. I invited some BUSK acts to donate a track, and quickly put together the first BUSK compilation. Liam Frost, who played a few times in those early months, sent over ‘She Painted Pictures’, even as things were starting to really take off for him. The CD raised over £500, but also stands as a document to the array of talent, styles and energy through the doors at Font. And demonstrated how quickly the night had turned into a community, and how music could be a force for good.
We had moved to The Garratt, on Princess St and opposite Manchester’s then-biggest indie club, 5th Avenue, which had a regular Wednesday crowd, but also one which wasn’t expecting live music once a month. The night flourished at our new home, so much so the Manchester Evening News wrote a feature on BUSK.
BUSK was never listed as an ‘open mic’, which allowed a degree of discretion on the occasions people approached us to play, and a creative control where the fine balance was struck; encouraging and celebrating live performance, even impromptu, yet retaining a high-quality of entertainment for everyone present.
The venue bought a new PA system, and in order to try to adapt to the movement of people into 5th Ave before their 10.30 promo entry deadline, we started including a ‘headline’ act; potentially a full ‘band’, but essentially a longer set. This also allowed us to advertise in advance.
It meant that, ahead of our fourth birthday, we could bill an exclusive Dutch Uncles set. They also donated the song ‘Tugboats’ (recently reprised on their own rarities collection) to our 2009 compilation CD. Twelve months later, the fifth birthday was advertised as a ‘special guest’, only as Liam Fray wanted to keep it that way. He came, played a long set, some new songs, Courteeners hits.
“Smoking outside the Garratt on the night,” recalls Danny. “Overhearing Courteeners belting out from 5th Ave opposite, and wondering how full the club would be if they knew Liam was playing a free acoustic set over the road right now?”
Liam also invited me up to play a song with him (‘No You Didn’t, No You Don’t’. Yes, I did.). Happy 5th Birthday, BUSK.
Fray first played BUSK back at Font, as had Conan (later guitarist with Courteeners). After he’d told me on a night out about his new guitar, I invited him along to our new night, and he joined the queue at the top of the spiral stairs. He later told me he was taken aback when he saw some of those waiting to play. We had a special agreement with Liam; instead of ‘3 songs’, he got 10 minutes, as he was still working through his songs and set at this stage. An early incarnation of ‘Cavorting’ was definitely in his first set, as I told him later that it sounded great. He came back to play numerous times, and on one occasion texted ahead to check we were on, before asking not to be introduced. It became apparent why later, as he introduced songs as ‘The Courteeners’, playing as a duo.
“Liam would play a cover,” Danny remembers. “Then stop abruptly. And when he had everyone’s full attention, he would then play his own original material. Worked a treat.”
Fray recently recalled this as being the first ever Courteeners show. In fact, they played again later the same night, the set was that well-received. So we had the first and second ever Courteeners shows!
BUSK hosted InTheCity fringe events, with two rotating stages and some stellar line-ups, as well as being asked by the venue to run on New Year’s Eve each year. And all whilst retaining the last-Wednesday-of-the-month slot in the calendar, for the regular, traditional acoustic night experience.
When the monthly acoustic nights ended after 9 years (although there do continue to be sporadic live events) lots had changed. Not least the appeal of Wednesday nights until 1am! Myspace, social media, but also going-out habits in Manchester, post-financial crash and a changing city centre. What remained throughout was live music, its appeal, its strength, its ability to move, motivate, connect or inspire people. And at BUSK, that constant was a pleasure to be a part of, and I hope was shared by all those who came through the doors to perform or to attend.
Twenty years ago, a show was cancelled, yet it sparked a decade of life on the Manchester music circuit.
• Danny currently performs as Danny Brab. Instagram / Facebook
• Neil performs with Carousel Clouds. Instagram / X
The next BUSK event is at Salford Eagle Inn on Saturday, 1st February 2025. X
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Some of the acts who have performed at BUSK:
(52)Teenagers, Aiden Cross, Air Cav, The Bacillus, Beat The Radar, Becca & The Broken Biscuits, Ben Mulvey, The Bottomfeeders, Burn The Mona Lisa, Charlie Barnes, The Chase, The Clerks, Cohesion, The Courteeners, Dan Melrose, Darktown Jubilee, Dave Cleal-Hill, Dr Butler’s Hatstand Medicine Band, Dr Tid & The Triple Eights, Dutch Uncles, Eleanor Lou, The Ending Of…, Emma Elizabeth, Extinguish Her, Frank Is Dead, Folded Remediez, Fox In Dangerland, Fun Fun Yay, The Generalissimos, George Borowski, Gideon Conn, God’s Little Eskimoes, The Green Tree Riot, Headlines, Hip Parade, Holly Burton, In The Black, It’s A Buffalo, Jaca, Jay Pitchford, The Joy Formidable, Kathryn Edwards, Kev Fox, Liam Fray, Liam Frost, The Light Fantastic, Lisa Marie Glover, Loose Cannon, Major Major, Maudite Dance, Maybe Myrtle Tyrtle, Megan Oliver, Midland Railway, Midnight Mafia, Monkeys In Love, Mount Fabric, Mr Heart…, My Name Is Cody, The News, New Grafitti, Nice Peter, Nolan Watkinson, Nomad Jones, Northern Uproar, One Man And His Beard, Optional Wallace, Orchids, Orphan Boy, Page Avenue, Paris Riots, Paul Flieshman, Paul Oska, Pete Greenfield, Peter Glennie, Phree The Eon, Phil Dobie, Physical Jerks, Pierre Hall, Polly Mackey, Rachel James And Band, Rachelle Whatever, The Rats, The Raw, Robin Mukherjee, Rory Mckee, Richie Syrett, Sarah Higham, The Score, The Second Floor, Second Hand Guns, Sobi Thuriniam, Songs For Walter, Sophie Broadgate, Stephen Sarsen, Storyville, Suitcase, Suzie Does It, This Is Chi-Chi, Tiny Dancers, The Vortex, The Witches, The Words, Todd Dorigo, Zacc Rogers
IMAGES (All photos, flyer design, cover design and photography by Ian Stephenson)
