Man Confronts S'pore Buskers At MRT Station For Being "Too Loud"; Passers-By Step In To Help De-Escalate The Situation Before Police Arrive

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Local band J.P.A.G recently shared an unpleasant encounter they had while busking outside Pasir Ris MRT station, after a man approached them and repeatedly demanded that they lower their volume.

The band's singer, Jazz, posted a video of the incident on Instagram on October 3.

She tells 8days.sg that J.P.A.G had been performing for around one hour and 50 minutes with no complaints, and says people had also stopped to watch them.

Suddenly a man approached them and told the band: "You are too loud. Lower your volume.”

In case you're wondering what song they were performing at the time, it was Bruno Mars’ ‘Locked Out of Heaven’. Was he just not a fan of Bruno Mars? 

Jazz tells us she thought his initial request was reasonable and she intended to lower the speaker volume. But she was in the middle of a song, holding a wired microphone, with guitarist Wero on one side, their drummer on the other and keyboardist Phoebe behind her.

"We usually try not to stop in the middle of a song as there was an audience watching," Jazz explains.

Still, the band tried to respond quickly. Wero stopped playing his guitar, while Phoebe lowered her keyboard volume, and Jazz tried singing more softly.

Problem solved? Apparently not.

"He continued raising his voice and telling us that we were too loud and to lower our volume. He also approached us, pointed at us and got very close to both my guitarist and keyboardist,” Jazz tells us.

Jazz stresses that the man did not touch the band or their equipment, and she doesn't recall him using abusive language or making any direct threats.

However, his behaviour still made her nervous.

"He was raising his voice, pointing at us and got very close to both my guitarist and keyboardist, which made me worried that the situation could escalate and concerned about my bandmates' safety," she says.

And apparently, they weren't the only ones who felt things were getting uncomfortable.

Jazz says several members of the public stepped forward to help de-escalate the situation.

"One father stood between the uncle and my keyboardist while holding his young daughter's hand, and another passer-by also helped to keep the uncle away from us," she tells us.

At that point, Jazz decided the gig was over.

"I told my bandmates to stop everything, end the session, pack up our equipment and leave as soon as possible. I was concerned about our safety and did not want the situation to escalate further,” she says.

In the video she shared, police officers were at the scene.

But it wasn't J.P.A.G who called the police, and Jazz says she is not sure who called them.

By the time they arrived, the man had already left.

Jazz says the officers asked what had happened and whether the band members were okay before taking down their particulars and statements.

They also asked for information about the man.

And what did the officers say about the band's supposedly too-loud music? According to Jazz, nothing.

"The officers did not raise any concerns with our busking setup or volume. They advised us to stay vigilant in case the uncle showed up again. They did not give us any warning about our volume or amplification,” she tells us.

Jazz says J.P.A.G usually busks outside Pasir Ris MRT station weekly, and they'd never experienced anything like this there before.

It was also the first time they'd encountered the man.

According to Jazz, the band does make an effort to monitor the volume of their performances. 

"We use a sound meter app on our phone to check that our levels are within the applicable NAC limit of 65 decibels, and we use a mixer and speaker system to help prevent distortion and peaking," she says.

The National Arts Council's busking guidelines include requirements governing amplification and sound levels for busking performances.

Jazz's video subsequently attracted tens of thousands of views, with netizens coming to the band's defense.

One wrote: "It isn't right for him to come up and get close and personal."

Another commented: "They're not busking in his house, it's a public space."

Jazz appreciated the gesture and tells us, "We've had generally had positive experiences [busking at Pasir Ris] with the community, so it was really heartwarming to see people showing their support."

She says others who had previously watched the band perform in person also reached out, telling them they didn't find J.P.A.G too loud and hoped they'd continue bringing music to the neighbourhood.

The man, meanwhile, has not contacted the band since the video went viral, as far as Jazz knows.

Neither have the police or NAC has followed up with them.

"We understand that everyone has different sensitivities to sound, and we are always willing to be considerate and manage our volume when necessary. I would just hope that if there are any concerns in the future, they can be communicated in a calm and respectful way,” she says.