MUSIC has the ability to bring people together across many divides and when times are at their toughest it can drag those who listen to it to their feet.

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For 21-year-old Lawson Reid of Nelson Bay, music is in his DNA and with a little more time on his hands thanks to the current pandemic he recently plucked up the courage to put it all out there on the streets of Port Stephens.

“I’ve been playing, writing and recording music for sometime at home and online but hadn’t really had the confidence to perform live again,” said Lawson.

“I tried a couple of years ago to have a go at busking.”

“I set-up with my guitar and opened my case, but when I started playing another performer started up just near me with a powered amp and I pretty much just packed up and left,” he said.

“I felt pretty deflated.”

This time armed with his portable amp and a load more confidence Lawson strummed away in Nelson Bay’s CBD belting out ballads for passersby.

Little did he know that his performance would bring so much joy to his community and as his guitar case filled with donations so did his appreciation for his audience.

“Music is a wonderful thing, especially when times are a little tough,” said Lawson.

“The COVID pandemic and everything that is going on around us at the moment can be really tough for people.

“It’s important to stop and still appreciate the things that can bring us together even though we can feel so far apart.”

With his performance shared and praised online, local residents are calling for him to embrace his gift and keep playing live music in a time that needs it more than ever.

“The response has been pretty overwhelming,” said Lawson.

“From the funds I raised it pretty much paid for the amp I was using and I even had enough left over to shout my family dinner.

“I received so much love and support from so many people and I hope to be playing some more music for them real soon,” he told News Of The Area.

By Mitch LEES