FRESH from his performance on national radio, a young Ladywell saxophonist has triumphed in a top London competition.

Last month, News Shopper reported how 12-year-old Sam Barnett was spotted performing outside Victoria train station and got invited onto Jazz FM.

Now the Colfe's School pupil has won the grand final of the Mayor of London’s Gigs Big Busk competition in the youth category.

He said: "It was amazing to win. I think now that I was quite young and inexperienced really when I started out on the competition circuit but I’ve now grown in confidence and experience and I think it shows in my performances."

An astonishing 800 musicians took part in the competition, with the grand final held in front of hundreds of shoppers at west London's Westfield shopping centre.

Sam’s category was judged by a panel of leaders in the music world, including MOBO award-winning saxophonist YolanDa Brown.

He said: "We were playing in the main foyer of the Westfield centre, that’s where the stage was, and the judges had their mean judging faces on.

"It was agonising waiting back stage. But when I went on and played Ray Charles' Georgia On My Mind, it went really well and I was thrilled to win - surprised, too, because the other musicians were very good."

The win caps an action-packed few months for the young musician, whose prize was a top of the range Roland cube street amp together with microphone and stand.

He said: "I’ve really enjoyed the summer but I think I’ll have a few weeks off now because it’s been pretty exhausting." 

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "The standard of the finalists was incredibly high, making it a Herculean task for the judges to select the young winner. It underlines the amazing talent there is in London and I wish big success to Sam and everyone that took part."

Elsewhere, The Watling Street Band from Greenwich were runners-up in the bands category.

For more on Sam, visit sambarnettsound.com