The talented Piano Bike Girl performed in Westbury recently as part of her ongoing challenge to busk in every town in the UK.
Musician Chloe Marie Aston, from Devon, arrived in the town centre on Tuesday 15th April to play songs for passersby on her unique ‘piano bike’ between 11am and 3pm.
Set up outside Aimi’s Cafe, she performed piano ballads from a range of artists and some of her own songs. Westbury’s performance was part of Chloe’s ambitious challenge to busk in every town in the UK, where so far, she has performed in more than 150.
“I like making people smile. The appreciation I receive is also very rewarding, people don’t have to stop and listen but they do. It’s an amazing job,” explained Chloe, who has a background in drama and music.
“Through setting out to busk in every town, I have met so many lovely people. It is an ambitious challenge. I think busking is the best way to promote yourself as a musician, to get gigs and to get noticed. It also means I get to visit so many beautiful places that I may have never seen if it hadn’t been for busking.”
When Chloe was around 14 years old, she developed an interest in busking and open mics. After learning guitar and finding the strings hurt her fingers, her dad had the idea to make a ‘piano bike’ which they completed in the summer of 2019.
Chloe said, “People love the idea of me playing on a piano bike and are impressed by the distance I travel to busk. I have gained a lovely following on Facebook and I am always being asked to come back to certain towns.”
She now travels around the country with the support of her dad. “My dad is my roadie and makes sure that I get everywhere safely,” she said. “I still live in North Devon and the longest I have been away from home is six weeks.
One of her busking highlights was when she performed in Leicester Square at the start of March. “I had to pinch myself,” says Chloe. “Receiving messages from people listening saying how I made their day is always so lovely too.”
