It stands to reason that as we move towards a cashless society the art of busking has fallen on tough times.
However, bucking the trend is 12-year-old Conal McCaul who showcases his remarkable drumming ability on the streets of Upper Hutt.
Conal has already been busking for years at his local mall, starting when he was just 8 years old.
You can often find him outside the ASB banging out alternative rock classics from the likes of the Foo Fighters, drumming along to the tracks blaring out from his speakers.
He told Seven Sharp his parents bought him a drum kit for his second birthday and he never looked back.
"I just learned from watching videos and listening to songs, I figured it out," Conal said.
His parents Karin Blue and Damian McCaul said he has always been musically talented and also picked up bass and lead guitar during the Covid lockdowns.
Conal said he would love to meet idols Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters and Flea from The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
"He just decides on the day if he wants to go busking and the main thing I have to do is make sure the battery is on charge," his dad explained.
Conal explained how sometimes elderly ladies have tried to get him to move on, but the show must go on.
His dad Damian joked that he pulls in a better hourly rate from busking than he does from his job.
Watch Julian Lee's Seven Sharp report above to see why McCaul is such a smash hit with shoppers.
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