Luca Fiore crowned Gigs Champion 2015

Hounslow singer Luca Fiore has been crowned Gigs Champion 2015, following a six month search to find London's best busker. The singer, originally from Italy, beat acts from across the capital to take top honours in the Grand Final of Gigs, the UK's biggest street music competition.

Organised by the Mayor of London, Gigs originally attracted 240 entries, with 190 acts being selected to perform live at 24 busy London locations during the summer, including at the first ever National Busking Day as part of the Busk in London Festival. Today’s final at Westfield Stratford City saw 18 of them, as chosen by music industry insiders and the public, compete in three categories, before the overall winner was decided by the judging panel.

Luca Fiore was initially selected as winner of the Soloists and Duos category (16-25 years), picking up a much coveted year's licence to busk on the London Underground, courtesy of Transport for London. Josh Tenor from Hackney won in the Youth category (11-15 years) and gets a Roland Cube Street amp. Dat Brass from Islington won in the Groups category (up to 8 members) and gets recording time in a top studio.

Other prizes were also up for grabs, including the Eurostar Prize, which was won by Alex James Ellison. He will now have the chance to travel to Paris, busking to passengers on the train and in the French capital.

Simeon Baker from Southwark is the overall winner of the Gigs Songwriting Prize, sponsored by PRS for Music. Cat Burns from Lambeth gets a bespoke package of training and coaching at the Institute of Contemporary Music.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “Massive congratulations to Luca. Over the summer, our Gigs competitors enlivened some of London’s most iconic locations with their top talent. The standard of the finalists has been extraordinarily high which was showcased at the Grand Final today. Gigs is all about giving stars in the making an opportunity to have their music heard by the masses, and to develop their craft. I’m very proud that many of our competitors have gone on to have marvellous success across the country and internationally. I wish the same great success to Luca and all those who took part in Gigs 2015.”

Gigs 2015 winner, Luca Fiore said: “It is a great honour to be crowned Gigs winner. I have enjoyed every minute of my time busking on London’s streets. This competition has given me an incredible platform to build my confidence and ability to perform in front of large crowds. I’m really thrilled and having the licence to perform on the Underground will be truly invaluable to me.”

Chairman of PRS for Music, Guy Fletcher said: “PRS for Music is delighted to support the Gigs Songwriter Prize. It is fantastically encouraging for the future of British music that so many competitors are writing their own material. The many high profile performance opportunities that the competition provides gives songwriters an amazing platform to try out their original work. There is no better way of developing their creative skills than performing to a live and appreciative audience. Congratulations to all those who took part and we look forward to seeing them go from strength to strength.”

The compere at today's final was top Xfm DJ Phil Clifton. The judging panel comprised: Maggie Crowe, Director of Events & Charities at BPI; Tim Fraser, multi-platinum songwriter and Board Member of BASCA; James Brister, The Hub at ICMP; and Julia Jones, A&R for Gibson Guitars Emerging Talent.

www.london.gov.uk/gigs