Buskers Bringing Life To City Streets

Mackay Regional Council’s Mackay City and Waterfront team has put the call out for buskers to inject life and entertainment into the streets of Mackay.  

Denis Kay is one musician who has performed for the people of Mackay and has done so for the last 18 years.

While employment circumstances forced Denis into busking, he says he does it for the satisfaction of seeing people happy.

“I love busking,” he said.

“Music is a universal language.”

Denis has lived and busked all over the country, but Queensland is his home.

His main avenue of live performance is busking acoustically, but he also performs at pubs, weddings and parties.

He says it’s hard to define his style of music.

“People call me raw,” he laughed.

“I’ve got a raw talent.

“I write about life, floods, cyclones, bushfires, all that sort of stuff.

“Mainly about life events, people can understand that.”

Denis released his first album, ‘The Ballad of Ned Kelly’, last year which has since sold in places like France, America and Russia.

For every CD he sold, he donated $5 to RACQ CQ Rescue and he hopes to do the same upon releasing his second album, ‘Smile’.

Denis is in the process of forming a band to record ‘Smile’ and hopes to launch the album once it’s finished with a full live performance.

“We’re actually looking for a bass player to come on board and help with the new album,” he said.

You might’ve seen Denis performing at Marian Woolworths and Sarina IGA, his two regular spots.

“You see all sorts of life coming to shopping centres or wherever you’re playing,” he said.

“When they come into contact with the music, it changes their whole persona.

“For even only a minute of that morning or afternoon, it has change in their hearts.

“That’s my enjoyment out of doing busking, is to see that,”

Denis recently performed at City Heart Fridays, a council initiative bringing life back to Friday nights in the city.

“(Council are) wanting to get music happening, entertainment happening in the streets of Mackay,” Denis said.

“It was really good; people just need to be aware that it is happening once a month on a Friday.”

Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson said council has put the call out for buskers to partake in the monthly events.

“Council have done a lot of work around placemaking, especially in the City Centre, and nothing activates an area quite like music,” Mr Williamson said.

“We are including busking with our City Heart Fridays activations, where City Centre traders are coming together to run mini events with the help of the Activate My Place Grants program.

“Buskers in the City Centre are a win-win for everyone – they offer small pop-up concerts that create atmosphere while also giving our amateur musicians a chance to perform and create social interaction on the streets.”

Permits to busk in the City Centre are free and are available from the council website under ‘Forms and Applications’.

For more information, head to the Mackay City and Waterfront Facebook page.

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