From busking... to buddies with Bastille.

Whilst on tour, Keywest decided to end their time in Birmingham this week in the Bullring, drawing in a crowd of shoppers keen to witness the explosive performance.

‘Keywest’ is a multi-award winning, rock band made up of 5 members from Dublin and London. They’ve recently released two albums, with their newest one ‘JOYLAND’ reaching number one on the Official Irish Chart in 2015.

Andrew, the lead vocalist, said: “We love Birmingham and we love experimenting and bringing people in. Both the crowd at the show last night and the crowd here today have been so supportive”.

He went on to explain how these street performances allowed the band to gain an early understanding of “semi-folk having the best reactor and the broadest appeal for people”.

This theme influenced the sound of ‘JOYLAND’, echoing the same raw acoustics the fans first heard on the streets when Keywest busked, like today Birmingham.

Copies of this album and their debut album, ‘The Message’, were on display for onlookers to purchase by making a voluntary donation. It was heavily stressed that they appreciated the help and that any donations made by the shoppers would aid the bands progression.

Their main aim is to be able to continue making music for their fans and to bring life to the streets.

The band’s sold out shows including Birmingham, Belfast, Dublin and Manchester are just a few of their destinations for this year.

Andrew said: “We’re touring with Bastille. It’s really exciting because we’ve come a long way!”

The band look forward to the remaining tour dates and hope that by being the opening act for Bastille, they will gain further recognition.

You can follow the bands action by searching the username ‘@keywestofficial’ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.