Drum and Drummer

This week's episode is ‘ablaze’ with banter thanks to our brilliant guest, Jordan Farrugia! After regaling us with a tale of arson and an unusual first date in court, we move on to drumming and Jordan’s career playing for Iranian artist Kamyar for his UK and European shows. We also talk about becoming a Master of Music at the London College of Music, getting to grips with Ableton, working part tim...

This week we had a lovely chat with Lainey Loops who is the drummer for SNAYX. Lainey gives us all the ups and downs of being in a band from touring with Royal Blood and Billy Talent, playing Download to being stuck on the Autobahn for 7 hours and balancing life on the road with work. Also a fellow non-burper along with George and previous guest James Gillingham, who is also her partner, we discus...

This week we are joined by the one and only Bob Knight. Not only has Bob had a staggering drumming career playing for the likes of Rita Ora, Nik Kershaw, Michael Bublé and Cee-Lo Green (plus so many more) he has also become one of the big ‘fixers’ in the music industry. Having moved down from Yorkshire to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music, Bob decided to take bookings into his own hand...

The Euros are over and whilst we also regularly disappoint the nation, unlike Gareth, we aren’t going anywhere! Ben had a gig down in Cornwall and made a weekend of it and George has been adjusting to electric kits and restaurant gigs. We also talk about being prepared by getting things right at the start to save time and avoid practising wrong. Ben also made more use of the sale at Graham Russell...

Recorded before the General Election and England’s quarter final win, we weren’t sure what this week would look like! What we do know is that Ben will go to great lengths to avoid a dirty PlayStation controller. He also took a trip to Paultons Park and we both showed our faces at Graham Russell Drums with George taking further advantage of the sale by purchasing a new ride cymbal. Enjoy! Follow us...

We’ve all been there, you go to buy a drum mat and end up with some new hi hats. George found himself diverted to Graham Russell Drums on his way to a gig and took advantage of their Euro’s discount on used drum gear. We also chat about England’s recent win, boomers and the role of band leader. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @drumanddrummerpodcast Follow us on Twitter: @balddrummers Email us at: d...

The Euros are underway and while the expectation of the nation weighs heavy, our new hardware is light as a feather. George has joined Ben in getting the Yamaha Crosstown lightweight hardware and is pleased with his choice. There’s also chat about good gigs, school rumours, human anatomy, pizzas and how to eat a burger. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @drumanddrummerpodcast Follow us on Twitter: @b...

This week we are joined by the absolute joy that is Will Daly! Having been a drummer since childhood Will completed a degree in teaching and then spent four years working at the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour. He then made the big decision to drum full time, setting up a teaching studio on a farm near his home in Essex alongside playing live for original band Stealing Signs and covers ba...

On this week’s show Ben tore a ligament in his back leaving him unable to walk while to the contrary George showed off his walking skills while playing a roaming gig. There was also some band drama at the studio that Ben overheard and in good taste sent a play by play to George on WhatsApp. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @drumanddrummerpodcast Follow us on Twitter: @balddrummers Email us at: druma...

Hello! George is revelling in all sorts of fame this week; his voice being recognised by a fellow drummer, being featured on a gig poster and going viral on Facebook for his vegetable measuring skills. There’s also some more e-cymbal chat and find out how Ben’s getting on with his new ACS IEMs. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @drumanddrummerpodcast Follow us on Twitter: @balddrummers Email us at: d...

George has been to a couple of weddings but this time as a guest; one he left early and the other had a very unacceptable best man speech. There’s also pancake chat as Ben went to Center Parcs for the big 39th birthday (which George forgot). We also have a follow up message from a listener and Ben’s ACS IEMs arrive during the show. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @drumanddrummerpodcast Follow us on...

This week we are joined by the awesome Tom O. Mitchell! Tom and his team at Drumwise, based in Kent, are celebrating 20 years of teaching pupils of all ages and abilities. The studio is kitted out with two Roland VAD kits and also offers students opportunities to record in studios and meet top drummers at the Drumwise clinics. During lockdown, Tom also ran his own series on YouTube interviewing so...

Game, set, match! George finally has his grudge match on the tennis court with Jack Hicklin and was also tricked into playing a wedding gig by the sneaky Lennon Taylor. Ben chats about the importance of insuring your drums and how the total value can add up quickly! There’s also some listener correspondence where we turn detective and some chat about swinging. Enjoy! Oxygen Thief: https://youtu.be...

On this week’s episode we chat about reaching 10,000 downloads (thanks for listening) and a weekend of gigging. George had a double dip weekend playing a theatre in Bracknell with 80s Hi-Fi and a wedding the following day and Ben tested his new hybrid set up at a wedding in Bristol but how did it go? Hit play to find out. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @drumanddrummerpodcast Follow us on Twitter:...

Thanks for joining us! There’s lots of great stuff on this week's show including the busiest gig day in May, WhatsApp playing with fire and Ben finally gets his ears moulded. We also talk about how busy Zildjian have been so far this year with not only the return of the Z Customs but this week they seemed to hint that they’re entering the world of the e-kit (and not for the first time it would see...

Welcome to another episode of Drum and Drummer! This week we’re chatting about George’s recent gig with Lennon Taylor where he used his new Gretsch Catalina with a slightly unusual cymbal set up. Ben also talks in detail about his new kit; the Roland VAD504! Having played it at two wedding gigs already, is this the future of live drumming? He’s also paired it with a full set of Yamaha Crosstown ha...

This week we are joined by the King of drum retail; it’s Graham Russell! As long time customers of Graham Russell Drums we were delighted to sit down and chat with Graham about how he turned buying a few second hand kits into the UK’s largest drum store and what makes them so good at what they do. We also talk about customer satisfaction, keeping stock levels high and trends in the drum industry....

It’s just the two of us this week and time for a good catch up. We have some correspondence to get through and George has been practising using the disappearing click method (although we can’t agree on what it actually is). We also chat about limb dynamics, working with a previous guest in the studio and Ben’s been up to London filming some new function band promo. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @...

This week we are joined by the legendary Mat Hector. As well as a stellar career drumming for the likes of Iggy Pop, Marc Almond and Razorlight he now spends some of his time producing artists and session recording from his studio built during Covid. We talk about the meticulous approach to accurately playing Lust For Life, matching Iggy’s energy on stage, the art of groove and the ‘disappearing c...

This week we are joined by the amazing Georgia Challinor. We caught up with Georgia not long after she returned home from touring with Enter Shikari as the band’s drum tech. We find about life on the road and expanding her career from playing to also being a tech and playback engineer. We also chat about the similar experiences we all shared being a drummer at school, pay systems for touring and o...

Protesting at his new found fame, Hercules delayed the start of this week’s episode by doing a poo on the carpet and George’s recycling has finally been collected. It’s all going on! Once we’d calmed down George tells us more about his recent gig in London with Mackenzie including learning songs at short notice and dealing with playback. Meanwhile Ben had his hearing test at Boots. Listen to find...

This week we are joined by the awesome Ollie Woods. Ollie is quickly gaining notoriety on Instagram due to his transcriptions of famous drum solos. Not only does he meticulously transcribe note for note he also takes on the challenge of learning how to play the solo as well! We talk about how it started, the process of transcribing and the issues that can arise with all the different kit variation...

After our best intro ever, we were joined by Dave Eyre to chat all about drumming case stalwarts Hardcase! Started in 1992 by Amber Plastics in Chesterfield with a desire to expand their use of rotational moulding technology market research pointed towards the music industry and in particular drums. Now a separate company and run by Dave they continue to be a global brand in the drum case business...

This week’s episode was recorded face to face as George has been recording a new drum video at Ben’s studio. We talk about the day in the studio and the drum gear we used (including ANOTHER new snare drum). George has also got new skins for his Gretsch Catalina and been to see friends play with Deaf Havana and You Me At Six. We also talk about Snareweights and a run in with the Irish police! Enjoy...

This week we are talking about ear safety and who better to talk to than Jono Heale from ACS; one of the leading brands in hearing protection and in-ear monitors. Having been a professional bass player for 15 years Jono unfortunately developed tinnitus which completely changed his life. We talk about the impact that had on him and his career, the positive changes in attitude towards hearing protec...