Man shouts at young buskers for being 'too loud' outside Pasir Ris MRT station, police show up

A band busking outside Pasir Ris MRT station on Oct. 2 were shouted at to turn their volume down as they were apparently "too loud" for one man's liking.

The situation, as seen in a video, turned tense after a man approached the group of performers and yelled at them.

The incident happened towards the end of the four-member J.P.A.G Band's performance at around 11:50am, the lead singer Jazzica Lee told Mothership.

What video showed

As seen in the video that Lee posted on Instagram, the performers were in the middle of "Locked Out of Heaven" by Bruno Mars when a man started raising his voice.

He could be heard on camera telling the band, "Lower your volume, you're too loud."

The man's voice was audible over the music.

At one point, he even went up to the keyboardist and pointed at her and repeatedly told the group to lower their volume.

Staying calm

Lee said the band had never experienced such a confrontation before.

They busk regularly in Pasir Ris.

It was also their first time encountering the complainant in a blue cap.

When the man first approached them, the band members exchanged nervous glances with one another, the video showed.

They tried to remain calm, as Lee nodded to acknowledge that she had heard his demands.

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

At that time, she was standing between the instrumentalists holding a wired microphone, which did not allow her to move immediately to adjust the speaker’s volume.

She explained that her band uses a sound meter app to ensure that they do not exceed 65 decibels, which is a rule set by the National Arts Council (NAC) for daytime busking performances.

They also use a mixer and speaker system to help prevent distortion and peaking.

Did what he requested and stopped playing

But the man's persistent complaints prompted the band to simply do what he requested and lower their volume.

The guitarist stopped playing, and the keyboardist made her keyboard softer.

After the man got very close to the keyboardist and pointed at her while yelling, Lee grew worried for her bandmates' safety and told them they should stop and pack up.

Help from the public

A few passersby who were at the scene tried to de-escalate the situation.

A man who was with his young daughter went forward and stood between the complainant and the keyboardist to protect the latter, Lee said.

"It was very kind and thoughtful of him, and we are extremely grateful that he stepped forward," she told Mothership.

A user, believed to be the passerby, subsequently commented on Lee's Instagram video, saying that the man in the blue cap later followed him to a McDonald's to tell him off for trying to stop him.

Another passerby also helped to keep the man away, Lee shared.

The passerby told the band to ignore the man and continue playing.

"We are very grateful to the members of the public who stepped forward to help us," Lee said.

As the band packed up, she saw that the man in the blue cap was still watching them from a distance.

But he left before the police arrived.

Lee said her group was not the ones who called the police, and they are unsure who did.

In addition to taking their statements, the police officers advised the musicians to stay vigilant in case the man showed up again.

According to the video, Lee was seen packing up to leave the venue before two police officers showed up to speak to the band.

She said the officers asked about the man and took down the group's particulars and statement.

Mothership understands that no further police action was taken.