Banjolele? You can’t have a licence for that, says TfL

Small, comical and associated with the light-hearted music of George Formby, the banjolele might seem innocent enough.

But it doesn't amuse Transport for London, which has banned buskers from playing it on the Tube.

TfL officials have branded it "undesirable" and have placed it on an instrument blacklist along with its larger cousin the banjo. The ban was revealed by musician Nigel Burch, who plays the banjo/ukulele hybrid.

He said: "Apparently deafening electric guitars and backing tracks and amplified saxes are desirable but my small acoustic instrument that I use to accompany my voice is not. This is an outrage. There are many musicians, not all banjo and uke players, who find this musical instrument discrimination outrageous."

Mr Burch has been busking at Leicester Square, Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Circus stations for about 30 years. He signed up to the licensed busking scheme when it was introduced six years ago - but after his licence expired he was told he could not renew it.

In an email to Mr Burch in March, TfL stated: "Unfortunately for these applications the banjo was listed as not desirable, and therefore your application was unsuccessful." He was also told the ukelele was undesirable, though TfL said today it had since changed its position.

Peter Murphy, who runs an online group representing Tube buskers, said: "There are degrees of professionalism as to how each instrument is played, so how can you make a blanket assumption that customers won't want to hear a particular instrument?"

John Howlett, who runs the Hobgoblin folk music shop in Rathbone Place, off Oxford Street, added: "It is a popular instrument at the moment because of [Mercury Music Prize shortlisted band] Mumford and Sons."

A TfL spokeswoman refused to say why the banjolele was considered "undesirable", adding: "Licensed buskers are chosen on talent and diversity, with emphasis strongly placed on meeting the varied musical tastes of Tube customers."