Drum and Drummer

This week we are joined by the magnificent ‘Deano Machine’ aka Dean Llewellyn. Dean is an exceptional guitarist and plays in the band Barbara with previous guest Lawrie Miller. He is also friends with and gigs regularly with George so we thought we’d get a guitarist's point of view about drums and drummers. He regaled us with tales about gigs in hair salons, the weird world of joinmyband.com, ‘the...

It’s a bumper episode this week with plenty of drum chat. We both went to a 30th birthday party / jam night and George played at Icebreaker festival where hair extensions and guitar heads don’t mix. Our wallets have suffered as we’ve both been shopping for new drum gear with Ben getting a new stool, kick pedal, hi hat stand and crash and George picking up a second hand Gretsch Catalina kit. We als...

This week we are joined by Jack Hicklin! After studying at BIMM, Jack put drums on the back burner as he spent the following few years coaching tennis. Now with a renewed passion for drumming he’s prioritising his music career with regular gigs in both the covers and original circuits. We find out if there’s any similarities between high level tennis and high level drumming, the challenges of re-e...

To clean or not to clean, that is the question. On this week’s episode we are talking about cymbal cleaning and why you should or maybe more importantly why you shouldn’t be doing it. Also Ben’s new hi hats get put under the microphone in the studio and we learn about the magic (or science) behind Bar Keepers Friend. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @drumanddrummerpodcast Follow us on Twitter: @bald...

Hello! This week Ben finally buckled under the weight of public opinion and started watching The Traitors but has ruined his sleep schedule in the process. George has been on his croissant making course and played an 80th birthday party under difficult sound restrictions including a rhythmically challenged clapper. We also take a look at practice routines, the books George has been using to keep t...

It’s been cold so Ben’s got his big coat on. George regales us of his triumphant pub quiz antics and we take a look at the Zildjian 400th anniversary snare drum which comes with a hefty price tag. We’ve had some more kit pics in and one of us is off on a croissant making course. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @drumanddrummerpodcast Follow us on Twitter: @balddrummers Email us at: drumanddrummerpod...

Happy New Year! On this first episode of 2024 we caught up on what we did over Xmas including Ben’s trip to New York and George’s busy working week. We also chat about our goals for 2024 in more detail, read out a lovely listener message, grabbing some new hi-hats from the Big Apple, and a night out including getting smashed, watching The Darkness and going to a casino with Hugh Grant (well, someo...

We hope you had a good Christmas! Join us this week for our Xmas Special where we had a fun, in person chat with not one, not two but THREE guests! In what now appears to be an Xmas tradition we welcomed back Josh and Elliott but if that wasn’t enough we were also joined by the wonderful Neil Elliott. After some chat about jingle bells, gravity and George’s new Aldi shoes, Josh played the role of...

This week we are joined by Kevin Hein! Kevin moved from Germany to London to study drums at BIMM and has quickly become an in demand session drummer. With his acoustic looking Roland VAD kit he has fully embraced modern technology enabling full band rehearsals in a London flat and combining acoustic and electronic setups at shows. We also chat about using Instagram, growing up in rural Germany, ta...

This week we’re catching up on George’s birthday, the return of Covid and we received some great listener emails. George has also been shopping and entered the world of silent cymbals and skins. Find out what he thinks and how was the delivery experience? There’s also the guy air-drumming with sticks in front of Ben at a recent gig and what surprising DVDs were found in an elderly care home. Enjoy...

Hello! On this week’s episode we chat about dealing with grief and gigging/working in the immediate aftermath of losing a family member. George has also been to another gig up in London and we discuss the ergonomics of setting up your drums and are important lessons being missed due to online learning. We wanna see your kit pics and go wish George a happy birthday. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @...

Unfortunately we have to start this week's episode with some sad news after the unexpected passing of Ben’s father, Adrian. While the dust settles on a tragic week, George is on hand for some distraction and tells us what he’s been up to and it involves a lot of trips to London! He went to see some gigs, played a Wren show, got his ears cleaned out and had a stint working in the TV side of footbal...

This week we are joined by Eddie from Primas Custom Drums! We talk about how he put his previous skills as a carpenter and engineer and passion for drums to good use in setting up Primas Custom Drums. We delve into his unique manufacturing process, customer base, price point and modifying kits. We also learn about his job at Rolls Royce Aerospace and a particular way they test the engines! Enjoy!...

This week we had a great chat with Ciara Chinniah! Ciara recently gave a masterclass at the UK Drum Show and tells us of her love of odd time signatures and the imminent book she’s written focussing on just that. We also discuss family priorities, what it’s like drumming while pregnant and both of her podcasts ‘Drummer Mamas’ and ‘Drum Education Live’. She also runs the ‘She Can Drum’ drum camp an...

Pop on your red trousers, it’s time for another Drum and Drummer! George learns how the distinct snare sound in ‘Beat It’ was created, played a lovely gig covering songs by David Bowie and danced the night away at a cèilidh. Ben finished the album he started in January and spent his nights at home building his prized Lego. We also chat about playing football with an ex Premier League footballer, t...

On this week’s show we’re talking about George’s recent gigs with Mackenzie and a long drive to Leeds and back with the one and only Deano. Ben’s got a new car and thinks the world is a bit like Grand Theft Auto and we both get riled up by lazy sax players and Instagram messages. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @drumanddrummerpodcast Follow us on Twitter: @balddrummers Email us at: drumanddrummerpo...

This week we are joined by special guest Oli Middleton! Oli has been the drum tech for Bastille for nearly a decade and we chatted about getting the job, what a typical day on tour looks like and dealing with Woody’s ever expanding set up. We also quiz him on changing skins and tuning (no Moongel allowed) and the ups and downs of life on the road. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @drumanddrummerpodc...

It’s a big day today as we celebrate reaching 100 episodes! George is chatting from his new drum booth and tells us how his first gig with Ableton went and Ben has got his new BDC snare. We then chat about reaching 100 episodes and there’s a secret recording from when we were coming up with the idea of starting the podcast. Enjoy! The Dent Act ‘Priorities’: https://youtu.be/6PuontyrDJQ Follow us o...

We’re back with more chat about our trip to the UK Drum Show in Liverpool. With heads sore and a big breakfast in our bellies we headed to the ACC. After quickly realising drum exhibitions are quite loud we had a wander round and spoke to some familiar faces and BDC offered Ben a deal he couldn’t refuse. We also bumped into Greyson Nekrutman! It was a great experience to go and see what was on off...

Greetings! We’ve just been to the UK Drum Show in Liverpool and we’re gonna talk about it… well we’re gonna talk about the day before. After a long drive that took pretty much all day we popped out for dinner, visited some pubs, met some fellow drummers and saw a really big bin. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @drumanddrummerpodcast Follow us on Twitter: @balddrummers Email us at: drumanddrummerpod...

Hello! As we gear up for a trip to the UK Drum Show we’re chatting about Ben’s 20 year uni reunion in London, George popping out for a roast and returning home after 1am and a man pissing himself in the middle of a pub. George watches Lord of the Rings for the first time and delves further into Ableton while Ben makes a rare appearance at a wedding as a guest and one of us has a cracked hi-hat. En...

This week we are joined by the amazing Camille Phillips! Camille is the drummer for The Subways and she very kindly agreed to chat to us before heading out on a co-headline UK and European tour with Ash. We chatted about joining The Subways, getting into drumming, making music videos and touring with a broken foot. There’s also chat about her work with Save The Night, encouraging more young female...

If you’ve ever lost something, check your shoes! On this week’s show a listener email gets us chatting about writing drums charts, learning by ear, isolating parts and how much do we stick to the original version. George popped into Kingston to see Royal Blood and Ben hates a particular type of t-shirt. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @drumanddrummerpodcast Follow us on Twitter: @balddrummers Email...

This week we are joined by Connor Hopkins who is the drummer for Dylan. We get straight into Connor’s hefty practice routine, getting into drumming and heading to the Academy of Contemporary Music aged 16. Connor tells us how his jeans nearly didn’t land him the Dylan gig and he runs us through his kit set up and his plans to expand it. With a busy rest of 2023 ahead we ask his thoughts on the ris...

Did you know there is no Burger King on the Isle Of Wight? Welcome to another episode of Drum and Drummer. George had a busy bank holiday weekend where he was a guest at a wedding which involved camping, drinking and ‘handfasting’. Ben went to the Isle Of Wight to play a wedding to the ‘locals’. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram: @drumanddrummerpodcast Follow us on Twitter: @balddrummers Email us at:...