Newton Faulkner busks in Liverpool Street station for Centrepoint charity

At 8am this morning, commuters were roused from their early morning stupor by the cheerful tones of folk artist Newton Faulkner. Busking outside of Liverpool Street Station, Faulkner performed to raise funds for Centrepoint , a charity which focuses on supporting young homeless people.

Playing songs including classic hits from his debut album Hand Built by Robots and new chart topping Write It on Your Skin, Faulkner managed to draw a large crowd with his distinct guitar technique and thoughtful lyrics. Halted in their tracks, passers-by were uplifted by 2007 number 1 single Dream Catch Me.

The singer-songwriter improvised new versions of tracks in a special one-off set with Pandora Minott. Pandora stayed at a Centrepoint hostel in Lewisham for two years after the relationship with her family broke down, leaving her with nowhere to go. Thankfully, she’s recently moved into a home of her own in South London, is studying music at college and hopes to apply to Goldsmiths College.      

Newton Faulkner said: “I sleep in a lot of very strange places, vans, trains, venue floors, but this is by choice, for a lot of people that is not the case which is why I’m busking for Centrepoint. Thousands of young people sleep rough every day because they have no other option, many of them not much younger than me. It makes you think.

By annoying people on their way to work, I hope raise awareness for Centrepoint and get people either joining our event or lending their talents as mentors.”

Centrepoint support 1,200 homeless young people aged 16-25 in London and the north east each year. New figures show that the number of young people under 25 verified as rough sleeping in London has increased 158 per cent in the last year, with 638 verified as rough sleeping in 2011/12, compared with 247 in 2010/11.

What a better set closer than a heartfelt rendition of  Queen’s classic Bohemian Rhapsody. The informal spirit and casual setup of Faulkner’s busking session made the audience proud to be privy of such an unlikely sight and sent every onlooker cheerfully on their way.

Naomi Couper
Photos: Rachel Sadie