WTF? :you_crazy I wouldn’t have considered either to be particularly noisy instruments, especially with the din of an Underground station…
The ukelele is however still permitted :laugh_at:
Nigel Burch plays a banjolele-led blend of punk, folk and cabaret jazz. He regularly tours abroad, and has been a licensed London Underground busker since 2003. Following a tour of Germany earlier this year, he applied to renew his licence, but was astonished to be refused an audition. The banjolele, he was told, is an “undesirable instrument”.
Emails forwarded to the London Underground Buskers email list confirm that a list of “undesirable instruments” exists. It includes the banjo, though not specifically banjolele, which Burch pointed out to no avail – following clarification of what a banjolele actually is, it now appears to be on the list, although the ukulele is not. The Musicians’ Union was called in and received a denial from TfL that there was any such “undesirable instruments” list, contradicting earlier TfL emails to Burch, and effectively ending any sensible discussion of the matter.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2010/aug/31/transport-for-london-buskers
