Melbourne duo the Pierce Brothers have slammed comments made by Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Robert Doyle that it’s “not appropriate to have loud buskers near the Myer Christmas windows.”

Speaking to The Music, the Pierce Brothers, who regularly busk in that area, were dismissive of such claims.

“The Bourke St. mall pitches have been set in place for years, including the pitch outside Myer and David Jones”, they said. “It’s important for buskers and store fronts to work together during such a busy time, and we’ve always made it work well in the past.

“We wish Lord Mayor Robert Doyle would actually support the arts, instead of labeling buskers ‘not appropriate’.”

Doyle’s comments followed a three-month trial ban of amplified performances on Swanston St.

The ban may still be implemented permanently, but the Lord Mayor suggests monitoring “compliance” to noise levels would be a better option. Nevertheless, speaking to the Herald Sun, he added:

“That goes for Bourke St Mall as well. It’s not appropriate to have loud buskers near the Myer Christmas Windows when people are trying to enjoy the store there.”

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This obviously hasn’t dissuaded the Pierce Brothers, who busked in the mall yesterday afternoon, donating their money to Beyond Blue. What about the poor shoppers though…?

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