Followers of Kazoo: Members of all religions can join the church say Ben Van der Velde, Mark Thomas and Jonny Walker (Picture: SWNS)

Even the humble triangle must feel smugly superior to the lowly kazoo.

But the last shall be first, the Bible tells us – and the once sneered-at standby of the one-man-band now finds itself deified by followers of a new religion.

A group of buskers has decided to get around a ban on performing in the street by forming the Church of the Holy Kazoo… and exercising the human right to preach in public.

Church founder Ben Van der Velde said: ‘Our religion doesn’t have too many rules, but the main ones are that every song ever written is a hymn and busking is a form of worship.




‘That means that. if the council or anyone else try to stop us from performing on the street, then they are impinging our religious freedoms.’

The inspiration for the new church arrived, 30-year-old Mr Van der Velde insists, when he was spoken to by the Great Golden Kazoo in the sky.

It just so happened that his spiritual vision came just in time to counter a threat from Camden council, which this week banned amplified street music and introduced a requirement for unplugged performers to buy licences.

It has enraged buskers in the north London borough, who say bosses are trying to ‘gentrify’ a renowned musical hub.

The council did not comment on the church’s plans to hold its first service on Camden high street in the next few weeks.