The story of the 5ft 9 busker who squeezes himself into a bin with his guitar
Charlie Cavey is possibly the country’s only busker who doesn’t mind being called a rubbish act.
Under the name The Singing Binman, he has been a musical presence inside a ‘traditional’ Cambridge trash can for more than 25 years.
He cottoned on to the idea after seeing a bin being unloaded into a municipal truck before a friend managed to help him squeeze into a similar receptacle with his guitar.
The trick is made possible by poking the neck of the instrument through the slot of his grimy metal workplace in busy Trumpington Street, which lies in the city centre.
The 5ft 9in street performer’s fame has spread far beyond the streets of Cambridge, with his biggest stage to date being an audition for ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent in 2002.
After being wheeled onto stage by two crew members, he gave a rendition of Monty Python’s ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.’
He had the audience singing along but was buzzed off by Amanda Holden, Simon Cowell and David Walliams after less than two minutes.
The 38-year-old has also been requested for weddings and welcomed British celebrities including Sir Bob Geldof, Carol Vorderman, Gregory Porter and Jim Broadbent to his acoustic pitch.
On a visit to Cambridge in August 2020, Tyson Fury joined the busker for a rendition of Oasis hit ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger.’
At the time, Charlie told how he was having a break when he was approached by the ‘giant’ boxer, who ‘partially blotted out the sky.’
Fury, 36, left a tip and said thanks after Charlie agreed to his request — extending a farewell hand which ‘wrapped around my hand twice.’
‘If it weren’t for the money and the positive effect it would be the most uncomfortable thing,’ Charlie told the BBC.
‘Most people are gonna laugh and find it funny. A lot of people find it, just, they don’t understand it whatsoever, they almost look a bit angry.’
The singer-guitarist, who used to work for a punting company and is an outdoors activities teacher by trade, describes his act as ‘a man playing a guitar and singing whilst inside a traditional Cambridge bin.’
Aside from the tips, one of the perks of the job is seeing the genuine reactions from people who assume he cannot see out of his confines.
‘So when I see somebody going from sort of like mid-conversation just having a chat and that, a kind of smile appearing on their face, that’s a great feeling,’ he said.
Charlie couldn’t even play the guitar when he realised he could fit inside one of the council bins.
The following winter he had learnt to play some songs which led to his friend suggesting he do so inside one of the pieces of street furniture.
At first he thought it was impossible — until his friend told him to feed the neck of the instrument through the slot before closing the latch.
Not everyone has been as appreciative as Fury, however.
In 2017, Metro reported how Cambridge students were warned to stop taunting the busker, whose pitch is in a busy area close to King’s College.
They were said to have thrown stink bombs at him and even emptied bleach into his bin because he plays too loudly and for too long.
Charlie responded: ‘I only play for 20-minute sets, then have a 15-minute break and only do about six sets a day.’
Students were told by their then college president James Black that ‘such acts of vigilantism are unacceptable’.
Mr Black said that if they took issue with Charlie then they should alert the council rather than take matters into their own hands.
The street performer insisted it was the first time he had any sort of complaint after 11 years of busking in the city and said he had to buy a ‘guard dog’ for protection.
Emphasising the crowd-pleasing nature of his act, he added: ‘They can hear me but can’t see me so they always stop and try to work out where I am. They’re always shocked when they discover I’m in a bin.
‘It always makes people laugh.’
The busker even challenges people to try out his workplace for size, writing on Facebook: ‘Come and ask for a go in the bin…if you dare!’
Busking is unlicensed in Cambridge, although the city council has the power to ensure performers comply with a code of practice designed to prevent them from being a nuisance.
The council says that busking ‘is a time-honoured tradition that dates back to medieval times’ when minstrels and bards would travel around ‘acting as news reporters and message bearers as well as entertainers.’
Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact josh.layton@metro.co.uk
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