LIPA star backs Busking Cancer

Aug 4 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

SINGER-SONGWRITER Sandi Thom, who studied at Liverpool’s LIPA, and Madness frontman Suggs are among musicians, singers and street entertainers supporting Britain’s biggest busking event.

Accomplished performers and budding artists have signed up to take part in the nationwide gig, Busking Cancer, in aid of Cancer Research UK.

Thom, most recently in the charts with The Devil’s Beat and who had a number one single with I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair), said: "Busking Cancer is fun, young and positive."

It will run for a week from September 6 to 13, and involves performers from all over Britain.

They include a Johnny Cash tribute act from Glasgow, an all-girls school in Marylebone, London, a Banbury man who plays the shawn – a medieval instrument that sounds like the bagpipes, a circus performer from Rochdale, and a little boy from Milton Keynes who lost both his great-grandparents to cancer.

Hundreds of other bands and musicians have signed up to busk - many of them because they have family members affected by cancer.

The event is supported by Fender guitars and aims to raise thousands of pounds for Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work.

Suggs - real name Graham McPherson - had a string of hits with Madness, including Baggy Trousers, Our House and It Must Be Love.

He said: "Playing music is such a joyful thing and it’s the soundtrack to all of our lives.

"I’m lucky enough to make my living from it but many people just play for the sheer fun of it. That’s the joy of busking - you can just stand up and sing or play anywhere. People love to stop and listen.

"And to do it in aid of Cancer Research UK - to help anyone whose life has been touched by cancer - is just fantastic. I’d urge everyone to get out on the streets of Britain from September 6 to 13 and have one big party. Have some fun - and raise some money that might just help save someone’s life."

The man behind Busking Cancer is Mark Warrick, a business analyst for Accenture global consulting, from south London, who lost his birth mother to cancer. He decided to set himself the challenge to learn to play the guitar in a year and go busking for Cancer Research UK.

Mr Warrick, 26, completed his challenge and organised the inaugural Busking Cancer event beneath the London Eye last September. The five acts raised £1,376 in just three hours.

Mr Warrick said: "The launch event last year was a storming success, so this year we are making it a nationwide event so musicians across the country can join in the fundraising.

"People can choose their own time and location in that week to busk. You can go it alone or make it bigger by advertising your event and drawing a crowd - either alone or at an organised site."

As a further incentive, Mr Warrick is challenging people who cannot play an instrument to learn one in time for the busking week.

He said: "I set myself a target to learn to play the guitar and was good enough within a year to play in public.

"Although I never got to truly know my birth mother before she died of cervical cancer, I felt a strong sense that I wanted to do something to raise money to fight the disease and this is what I came up with

"I think there is something quite magical about busking - speak to some of the biggest bands around today and they will always go back to their roots and talk about what it was like to play ’raw’ to people who just liked to stand and listen."

Busking Cancer is open to any performers of any age who want to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

* REGISTER at and for more information, visit: www.buskingcancer.co.uk