Music for the soul

I'd planned a sociable morning with friends, but had to ditch that idea when the hire car proved to have a dead battery this morning. However, let's not dwell on that. It all got sorted out eventually, via the hire company's contract with the AA.  A cheery AA man pronounced the battery past saving and fitted a new one. I then drove the unfortunate car back to its owners with some relief. The company's a good one and has offered me a partial refund because of the inconvenience.
Having cancelled all plans, this left me with time for a leisurely walk back through the city centre to the bus stop. I went via The Leadmill, one of Sheffield's best known music venues (extras). It's under threat of closure because of troubles with the landlord, but that's a story for another day. Today I just wanted to get on record the frieze above its entrance, for the local public art project.  One of the staff saw me taking photos, and - bless him - he volunteered to light up the sign for me.

The second life-affirming encounter of the afternoon was with the musician in the main shot. James Toffalli, aka the Piano Man apparently. If you are sharp-eyed, you'll be able to see his handwritten sign; he's been raising money for mental health causes.  However, the police decided that the piano he was hauling from one end of the country to the other, for charity, was an unauthorised vehicle in some sense... and stopped him in his tracks.  He is now raising money to restart the project.  As his sign says, a Google search or two will bring up his story. There's real emotion in his playing, and he seems to be able to transcend the most unpromising of city locations. He also seems to be able to play with passion, even with his hands encased in woolly gloves. He was totally good-natured about my request for a photo, and of course I put some money in his collection bucket.
The online links illustrate a very difficult personal story, and I notice that he is not looking as well in today's shot as he has looked in videos from a while ago. So I wonder what the future will hold, during this unrelenting winter.
There are a couple of links here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI2L1TEjx6I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW-yYkbL58w

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