A Busketeers Christmas Carol

By Charles Dic(Ken)s

Feliz Navidad, buskers! It’s that time of year again. That time of year where everyone has a strange combination of seasonal excitement and perpetual fear of planning upon their faces. The time of year where you spend far more time than you’d care to admit looking for the end of the Sellotape. The time of year where it’s okay to pour a sherry before midday and watch Die Hard before even getting in the shower. I refer, of course, to the ancient Pagan festival of Saturnalia… or Christmas, to use the trendy word.

Every Christmas, The Busketeers ponder the efficacy of writing a successful enough Christmas song that would allow us to retire before 40 years old and just sit back and collect that sweet, sweet quarter-of-a-million in royalties every December. However, this train of thought always ends with the conclusion that nobody can now permeate the monopoly that Mariah, Bublé, Wham! and the rest of them have on the Christmas song landscape… a pox on them all! (Apologies – that wasn’t very Christmassy.) But who knows – perhaps we’ll give it a shot one day.

To thematically fit the holiday season, as well as just for a bit of a laugh, this month’s blog will follow the major story beats of A Christmas Carol. Grab a mulled wine and let’s kick it off…

The Ghost of Busketeers Past: A Year in Review

Another very busy year. Over 100 different gigs from weddings to private functions to bars and clubs – just how we like it. But without a doubt, this has definitely been the year of festivals for us; in fact we’ve played more festivals in 2024 than in 2023 and 2022 combined (I was about to pull up a histogram, but decided this was a bit overkill)! We hit some of our favourites like Rattler Fest, Tunes in the Park, and Kingsbridge Festival, but also got the opportunity to play some new ones as well! A particularly memorable experience had us venturing up to Derbyshire to play Bearded Theory, a multi-award-winning creative and performing arts festival set in the grounds of Catton Park in the heart of the National Forest. But my word… it was muddy. Very muddy. So muddy in fact that we had to abandon our vehicle and proceed on foot, carrying with us all our instruments and equipment. We just about made it with 15 minutes to spare, managing to smash out a set despite being notably flustered, covered in mud and crop-dusted with marijuana smoke.

Another cool festival was Beautiful Days, which was founded and headlined by The Levellers. We had such a good time and got to catch some legends like The Damned, Cast, Fat Freddy’s Drop and, the man himself, Richard Ashcroft. And, of course, we’d be remiss not to mention the opportunity to play at Boardmasters for the second year in a row which… I mean c’mon, man – it’s Boardies! We feel very fortunate to have these opportunities; I don’t think any of us envisioned that we would one day be on stage at these festivals we started going to when we were 17. Here’s hoping for many more to come!

The Ghost of Busketeers Present – New Years Eve Excitement!

But enough reminiscing – we’ve got an awesome gig coming up this month. We are very happy to announce that we will be playing at Steel Brew, Royal William Yard, this New Years Eve. If you’ve not already made plans and are looking for a great place to put on a party outfit and grab a brew, this is a fantastic venue for it. The festivities kick off from 7 p.m. and tickets can be bought online, meanwhile, we will be primed and ready to bring out our signature artillery of bangers from across the decades. We would love to see every single one of you there and cannot wait to welcome in the new year with a Busketeers bang!

We are also very excited to be supporting the legendary Mad Dog Mcrea at Carnglaze Caverns on December 20th. For anyone who isn’t familiar with Mad Dog’s brand of whiskey-soaked Irish rock, this event is absolutely going to turn into a pre-Christmas party. And what a cracking venue too – it’s literally underground!

The Ghost of Busketeers Future – A Big Anniversary on the Horizon…

Next year is quite a significant one for The Busketeers, as it marks the 10th anniversary of when Luke, Matt and Olly first started going busking and playing gigs under the moniker. At the risk of sounding cryptic, we’d like to save some of the specifics for an announcement in the new year, but we can confirm that we are planning a ‘Busketeers 10th Anniversary Tour’ (that’s only a working title!) across several months, where we will be performing at some significant venues relative to our journey and also some new brand-new ones. At these events we will be selling some exciting new merch yet to be announced, as well as our first full-length LP on vinyl. 

Speaking of which, any collectors of physical media may be excited to know we will be hosting a release event for our vinyl in Tavistock at the start of March. Once again, please stay tuned for more details via email in the new year.

We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year; hopefully we will catch you at a gig very soon!

Ken, Luke, Matt and Olly

This Autumn - A Series of Matt Mishaps...

Ah, Autumn. One of the cosier times of the year, with a distinctive orange hue to everything. Whether it be pumpkins on porches, the crisp leaves on the ground, or Ken and Matt’s facial hair (they’re actually both gingers in disguise if you look closely). For The Busketeers, this time of the year establishes the gentle slope down of wedding gigs before the winter, and is characterised by more events in firelit pubs and taverns, along with drives that always seem to be in the dark. That being said, however, the last few weeks have still featured many outdoor festival-stage gigs, all complete with their inevitable share of funny stories, mild disasters and great memories.

The Looe Weekender and Toilet Incarceration

Looe has always been a hive of musical activity, and the Looe Weekender is a shining example of the town’s commitment and evident passion for supporting live music performance. It’s a completely free festival across the weekend wherein the numerous venues in Looe host dozens of talented local acts – if you’ve never been, we highly recommend checking it out next year! We were fortunate enough to play on both the Saturday and the Sunday, at the West Quay Stage and Hannafore Kiosk, respectively.

The weather was glorious on Saturday. The beers were flowing and the crowds were dense; the vibe couldn’t have been better really. We were backstage doing our usual thing of discussing what the setlist could be and whether everything was in tune, when it suddenly came to our attention that Matt had been in the toilet for quite some time. The Busketeers are fairly familiarised to the average length of one of Matt’s bowel movements and this, without going into further detail, notably exceeded that length. It was then that we checked our messages and saw one from Matt: ‘stuck in the toilet!!’.

Bewildered, we rushed to the gents and, sure enough, found a door with a jammed lock and the somewhat muffled voice of a Matthew on the other side. This was not at all ideal – we were literally minutes away from having to be on stage and playing – but the inconvenience of the situation was markedly dampened by just how unbelievably funny it was. Olly immediately attempted to jimmy the lock with a set of car keys, while Ken was bent double with laughter, thinking about having to explain to a crowd of festival goers that we couldn’t play just yet because one of the members was imprisoned in the latrine. Thankfully, with the help of one of the stage crew, we were able to get the door open and save Matthew Gordon Brilliant (that’s what Ken calls him) just in time to get on stage and rock out a set! The crowd were brilliant and the reception was, as always, hugely appreciated.

The following day we were back again,  this time treated to a much more intimate vibe and the Hannahfore Kiosk – a very warm and welcoming stage with rows of comfy deck chairs and the smell of good food in the air… they even had fresh crab sandwiches! It was a lovely gig, though on smaller stages like this, it does mean we have to exercise our ability to chat a bit in between songs, and we’ve always considered ourselves better at singing than talking. Still, the reception was once again very flattering and, with that, we proclaimed the Looe Weekender an all-round success.

Salcombe Live and the Attack of the Pathogen

The first weekend of October, we were gearing up to play at Salcombe Live. Much like the Looe Weekender, Salcombe live is an absolute banger of a town-wide festival that we are always so keen to be a part of. It’s once again hosted across the various venues in the town and is always brilliantly organised – we couldn’t recommend it more!

However, an obstacle presented itself in the early hours of Saturday morning, and not a fun kind of obstacle like a kissing gate or a cow in the road. Matt had unknowingly become host to a viral intruder, rendering him bed-bound with flu-like symptoms (as I write this I’ve just realised this month heavily features Matt in peril… but I digress). There is, of course, not much that can be done in situations like this other than to crack on and do the best we can under the circumstances. While Matt’s presence was sorely missed we managed to play a belter of a set at the Devon Rum Bar Saturday evening. The crowd were WILD, and we finished wearing sweat-drenched t-shirts and big smiles. We recommend checking out the Devon Rum Bar if you’re ever in Salcombe!

It's fair to say the three of us were all feeling it a bit on Sunday, likely due to the incredibly rowdy set the previous night, and the fact we were a man down. In honour of our missing member, we decided to throw together a makeshift Matt scarecrow to join us on stage, comprised of a disused microphone stand and a Busketeers t-shirt. We had the pleasure of closing Salcombe Live at the Ferry Inn, a privilege we’ve enjoyed for the last two years and where the atmosphere is second to none. It would of course have been better if we had our fourth member with us, but we feel that the Salcombe Live performances went as well as they could have done, and we were thrilled so many people enjoyed it.

A Few Quick Announcements!...

We sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed this month’s blog; before you go, we have some key future events we’d like to highlight.

Firstly, we are pleased to announce that on New Year’s Eve we will be playing at Steel Brew, Plymouth. This is an awesome, very spacious venue with a phenomenal craft beer and ale selection – we’ve played some more stripped-back Sunday sessions there and they’ve been a blast. Please stay tuned for more details as they arrive; we hope to see you there to usher in the New Year with a boogie!

However, if you already have plans for New Years (or just simply can’t wait that long!) we will be smashing out a set at Annabels, Plymouth on November 9th which is a Saturday night. It goes without saying this is always a wild ride and great fun – hopefully catch some of you there.

Thank you so much as always for all the love and support; have a great day and take care.

Ken, Luke, Matt and Olly

A Summer of Festivals and Milestones

What a summer it's been for The Busketeers! From intimate performances at smaller venues to massive festival stages, this year has been nothing short of epic for the band. With every strum of the guitar, tap of the cajón, and harmony sung, we’ve had the chance to share our music with more people than ever before.

Here's a look back at three of the most memorable highlights from our recent festival gigs!

Beautiful Days Festival: Performing on Geoff Lakeman's Stage (Fiddlers Arms)

The Beautiful Days Festival, nestled in the heart of Devon, was an experience we’ll never forget. It’s one of the UK’s most celebrated independent festivals, and we had the honor of performing on a stage run by none other than folk legend Geoff Lakeman.

Playing on Geoff's stage brought something special to the experience—a sense of tradition and authenticity. The crowd was intimate but electric, and the energy in the air made us feel right at home. Sharing that moment, surrounded by musicians and festival-goers who truly appreciate live music, was a gift. It’s safe to say this performance marked one of the most down-to-earth and soulful sets of the summer...unfortunatly for Matt he will remember it well as during the performance he became unwell and ended up being sick later on... poor Matt.

Boardmasters: Going Toe to Toe with Tom Odell

The iconic Boardmasters Festival in Cornwall was another standout moment this season, with its stunning views of the Cornish coast and lineup filled with world-renowned acts. We were absolutely buzzing to perform on the Bandstand Stage, a gorgeous spot that draws in festival-goers seeking chilled vibes between surfing and sunset.

But here’s the kicker—our performance overlapped with Tom Odell’s set on the main stage! Despite being up against a musical heavyweight like Tom, we were thankful to the crowd that came to watch us, with a few loyal fans singing along! After we finished we went and Softplay and the amazing The Teskey Brothers who were awesome!

Tunes In The Park: A big crowd for an opener!

And now, for one of the biggest highlights of the summer: Tunes In The Park. We had the honor of opening the second stage at this incredible festival, and we’ve got some news for you—we performed to what stage management said was one of the biggest crowds for an opening set for this stage! We must admit we saw a few fans with our shirts on and singing our songs back to us! Something every musician loves to see.

Walking onto the stage and seeing familiar faces in the crowd and people with our merch was surreal. Tunes In The Park felt like a celebration of everything The Busketeers stand for—good vibes, community, and, of course, a shared love for music.

It’s safe to say this summer has been one of the most memorable for The Busketeers. We’ve had the chance to perform at some of the UK’s top festivals, connect with incredible audiences, and hit milestones we couldn’t have dreamed of just a few years ago. Every festival has been a reminder of why we do what we do: to bring people together, one song at a time.

As we reflect on these amazing experiences, we’re more inspired than ever to keep the momentum going. From the folk-rich vibes of Beautiful Days to the massive stages at Boardmasters and Tunes In The Park, we’re grateful to everyone who has supported us along the way.

If you’ve been at any of our festival gigs this summer, thank you for making it unforgettable. And if not, don’t worry—there’s plenty more to come. The Busketeers are just getting started, and we can’t wait to share the next chapter with you!

Stay tuned for updates, and we’ll see you at the next gig.

Peace, love and music from The Busketeers!