Music on the streets of the city.
Following on from Birmingham’s Busking Battles’ introductory airing this summer, which amassed a reach of 1.5 million impressions on social media, the crowd has gone wild for another round and the bar has been set high. Partnering with City Social, the alternative Christmas market located under the Mailbox underpass, hopefuls will battle it out again this festive season.
Acclaimed for bringing music to the streets of the city and crowning Brum’s best busker, Busking Battles took place earlier this year – in partnership with Birmingham Updates – and saw talented musicians go head-to-head in a live performance 
City Social, neighbouring the Mailbox, will be housing Busking Battles live on stage, including both the heats and final showdown of the competition, the latter of which will take place on 20th December from 6.30pm-8.30pm.
Buskers are currently taking part in weekly heats, where they have the chance to win a cash prize of £250 and get valuable radio airplay on Solihull Radio, acting as a great starting block for their musical careers. The Phil O Show, presented by Busking Battles’ founder, Phil Oldershaw, backs both buskers and up-and-coming artists; focusing on their journey to date, what’s inspired them, and the music they perform.
Commenting about the return of Busking Battles, Phil comments: “This is a really exciting thing to be a part of and it has already received such phenomenal feedback and interactions over the summer, so being able to host a festive battle is pretty special. Teaming up with City Social means that those visiting Birmingham during the festive period can experience some local talent under this fantastic musical spotlight, which is what it’s all about! We’ve built upon our summer success and can’t wait to bring some festive cheer to local musicians.”
In the debut Busking Battles, supporters were challenged with being both the talent scout and judges, ultimately choosing who would be crowned the melodic winner. The show not only has brought buskers to the streets but aided bringing musicians together to work collectively and create an array of impressive duets.
Building on the summer success, this round also sees S.L.A.M Project jump onboard. Founded in 2018 by Peri Mani, a Birmingham-based music enthusiast and Producer, S.L.A.M (Supporting Local Artists & Musicians) aims to develop a platform to connect and bring together creative individuals and bring out their inner talent to showcase to their local community.
The next round of Busking Battles takes place this coming Friday 6th December, from 6.30pm-8.30pm on the City Social stage. To find out more and who’s performing, visit thecitysocial.co.uk or follow City Social on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.