Tom Odell took up busking on his latest tour.
The ‘Another Love’ hitmaker employed the unusual tactic to promote his new album ‘Wrong Crowd’, and he even took his impromptu free show to Oxford Circus in London.
The 25-year-old musician explained: "I did busking. We we’re doing it all over Europe on this tour. In the evenings we did shows and then I found this little battery keyboard, and we did it right outside Oxford Circus, which caused a bit of a stir."
Tom certainly did cause "a bit of a stir" as fans gathered around him and his keyboard to enjoy the performance in June 10, and he tweeted a picture the scene with the comment: "Madness in Oxford Circus … #Wrongcrowd is out today! (sic)"
Unlike a lot of musicians who start their careers on city streets, Tom was never a busker pre-fame because the piano isn’t a very mobile instrument.
The songwriter explained: "I think because I was a piano player it’s very difficult to drag a piano and put it in the street, so I always used to play in pubs.
"I played in pubs and I used to play in a lot of bands, just playing the piano, and then I sort of got my confidence to start singing. That certainly came afterwards, I just loved playing in bands."
Tom said that being a front man didn’t come naturally at first, and he used to get very nervous, but ultimately the attention seeker in him won out.
Speaking on UK TV show ‘Lorraine’, he said: "I found it very nerve wracking being a singer at the start. But, I think through doing it for a few years now I’ve learnt to embrace it and I really enjoy it. I love [being] on stage and playing with the emotion. I have an amazing band. I’m just a massive attention seeker."