Central Coast duo The James Brothers have taken out the Australian Nation Busking Championships 2022, held on November 26 at Cooma.
Five winners of the Central Coast heat, held in October, went on to compete at the nationals, with folk duo The James Brothers being named winner in the Open Division, taking home $300 in prizes and the winner’s trophy.
Sophie Goodwin came runner-up in the Secondary category, while Lil G (Gemma Egan) came second in the Primary School category, also taking second place in the People’s Choice award.
The Night Owls were highly commended in the Open category.
The Australian National Busking Championships is an Australia-wide network of busking festivals.
This year’s heats were held in Queensland, the, ACT and Victoria, with the NSW heat held at The Entrance.
The annual event celebrates the rich diversity of Australian music and street performance culture.
The Rotary Clubs of Erina and The Entrance worked together to host the inaugural Central Coast heat, held at Memorial Park, which saw a huge range of performers showcase their talents and attracted an audience of more than 2000.
Prizes totalling $4,000 were sponsored by local businesses, Rotary Clubs and individuals to support individuals who devote their time, energy and enthusiasm as performers in the Central Coast region.
The James Brothers have also recently returned from the inaugural international busking competition.
“We’re excited to have made it into the finals for The Buskers World Cup, which was held in South Korea,” they said.
“It certainly was a different experience; at one gig we stopped the traffic at a major junction!”
An Erina Rotary Club spokesperson said the theme of this year’s National Festival was to encourage, mentor, promote and develop career pathways for emerging musicians and performing artists of all ages and all music genres.
“We’re so proud that our NSW champions were so well received in Cooma and made a great impact on their audiences at the finals,” the spokesperson said.
“Our two Rotary Clubs, with the support of Central Coast Council, recognised that by hosting a regional heat here on the Central Coast we could enrich our community culturally and economically as part of a national network.
“The closing concert, in which all the finalists performed, was a treat for everyone – including the performers who enthusiastically encouraged each other, with cheers and genuine fellowship.”
Judges at the national finals were Australian country music star James Blundell, Gympie Muster organizer Oz Bayldon and a local screen music composer.
Source:
Media release, Nov 27
Rotary The Entrance and Erina