A single dad who once lived out of a storage lockup is set to play a landmark gig at Wembley with his band after becoming a viral busking sensation.
Tyber Cranstoun, from South East London, struggled to make ends meet throughout his 20s while he was busking with his brother Simon, and often had to pay for things using the loose change that passers-by would give to them.
If the pair didn't make enough money playing their funky mix of modern ska then Tyber couldn't pay his bills - even though he was only living out of a garage inside a storage lockup.
But after becoming a viral sensation, Tyber and his nine-piece band The Dualers are set to perform in front of 12,500 people at London's Ovo Arena Wembley on May 14.
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The 42-year-old musician - whose creative spirit is inspired by his 13-year-old daughter - said of life in his 20s: “It was like this thing of, you know, making the money at the weekend.
“But if I didn't make the money, I couldn't pay my rent.
“It was so often that I was counting up the coins in the bucket, and literally paying for everything in copper coins.
“If it meant a one pound bag or two things - then I used it.”
And Rick Newman, who works with the band on publicity, said the early stages of gaining traction as a group were difficult for Tyber to cope with - as he would perform for adoring fans but then use their money to pay the rent on his garage so that he still had somewhere to stay.
Rick explained: “Ty and The Dualers started gaining traction as viral busking sensations.
“The band were a smash hit with recordings of their street performances being watched over seven million times.
“But while Ty would leave the streets with adorning fans chanting, he would be using their money to pay for the rent on his garage, desperate to keep any kind of roof over his head.
“By day, he was surrounded by fans. By night, he was surrounded by cold, pink breezeblocks.”
Tyber and his brother Simon used to head up the band together, but after Simon left to pursue a solo career in 2010, the band is now led by Tyber on his own.
They have gained more than 39,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and had huge success in 2019 when their single, Only When You're Around, was featured on BBC Radio 2.
Tyber added: “To be honest with you, we did pretty much it all ourselves because no one really invested in us.
“I was still singing on the high street up until five years ago.”
The band’s 2019 album, Palm Trees and 80 Degrees, rocketed to number 11 on the album charts and it was that success which led a company to approach them about playing at Wembley Arena.
Tyber said: “When you look at these types of venues, they’re the ones that Diana Ross and George Michael and Tom Jones played. To be offered the opportunity to play there, just wow.
“It’s amazing. I feel nervous, excited proud - and humble.”
The Dualers’ latest album, Voices From the Sun, is set to be released in August.
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