Myles Smith Addresses Difficulty In Putting On Pop-Up Gig In Sydney

Last week (8 May), Myles Smith played a free, pop-up show at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt, but that wasn’t his original plan.

The British singer-songwriter is currently touring Australia on his We Were Never Strangers tour, which was initially booked for November 2024 but moved to this month.

Smith has performed a pop-up show in Sydney and a one-off free show at Melbourne’s Federation Square, which was reportedly much easier to organise than a one-off show in Sydney. Yesterday, he also performed an impromptu gig in Brisbane.

The Stargazing singer initially wanted to showcase an “impromptu busk” at Pitt Street Mall in Sydney on Thursday, but faced alleged pushback from the City of Sydney council.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Smith was told he had to apply for a busking license, offer identification, and line up with other artists keen to perform from 7 am to secure his position on the day. He also had a sold-out show at the Hordern Pavilion that night.

Smith ended up playing at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt and, following the experience, shared his thoughts on the matter on his Instagram Stories on Saturday (10 May).

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“Kinda crazy how hard it can be sometimes to just play a couple songs on the street,” Smith wrote (via The Daily Telegraph). “Like, I get it ... there needs to be some sort of system so it’s fair for everyone, whether you’ve got no followers or a million. That’s important.”

He continued, “But still ... it’s mad how something so simple can feel so complicated to actually make happen.

“How do we keep it fair and still make space for these moments to happen more often? How do we keep live music alive, not just on big stages, but in the places we actually live?

“No real answers ... just one of those things that’s been on my mind today.”

Smith's request to perform at Federation Square was reportedly approved in just 15 minutes.

Myles Smith is performing at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall tonight and tomorrow night. Ahead of the shows, he busked in the city and teased a new song that will be released next Friday (23 May). Smith will wrap the tour at Auckland’s Powerstation this Thursday.

The tour follows the release of Smith’s latest EP, A Minute, which dropped last November.