Impressive turn-out of exhibitors, visitors and artists makes for a well received event
The first London Drum Show took place over the weekend (September 4th and 5th) at London’s Olympia and was very well received by exhibitors and visitors alike. Some 2,000 people over both days (official figures are not yet available) attended the show, which saw some 40 stands including all the major brands attending, from giants such as Pearl, Yamaha and Roland, down to smaller and even start-up companies in the shape of Matt Nolan and Stageworks Gear.
Every aspect of the drum and percussion world was covered, from cymbals and kits to percussion and accessories.
It was a bustling little event (opened by Steve Gadd, no less) that managed to capture the unique atmosphere of one of MI’s more left-field sectors and delivered a sense of community for all that made it to the show.
“It’s tough out there for everyone at the moment, but when someone organises a drum show, you have to be there,” commented Active Music’s Lee Worsely.
“The drum community always stands a little separate from the rest of MI, so this sort of show really captures that culture. We all know each other, we all do similar things, it’s a real community and when we get together, it’s like old friends getting together,” added Yamha’s Darren Power. “The exhibitors and organiser have also brought in some good artists [as we spoke, Dave Weckl was on the live stage] and that is so important in the drum industry.
It is a very artist-led business.”
As well as Weckl, the two days saw live performances from the likes of Benny Greb, Ian Matthews, Mike Mangini and Ndugu Chancler.
On top of that, Mikedolbear.com had organised a schedule of masterclasses covering issues such as working with film soundtracks, flamenco percussion and masterclasses from Weckl, Chancler and Craig Blundell.
There was little in the way of new gear per se on show, with most companies showing gear launched at NAMM or Frankfurt, although there were notable exceptions. Notable among these was Morico. The whole stand was ‘branded’ Sound Garden, alerting people to the new, eponymous brand of sound sculptures: hand beaten cymbals, gongs and various semi-tuned ‘hittables’ that look as good as they sound.
Also the Bum Chum silent monitoring system for drummers that sends a (surprisingly pleasant) vibration from the kick drum into the drummer’s throne, possibly ending once and for all the unfortunate occurrences of drummers losing their fundamentals in a monitor mix.
A full report will appear in the next (October) issue of MI Pro.
Organised in association with Drummer magazine and it''s parent company Oyster House Media, the first London Drum Show was held in the Olympia Conference Centre on 4th and 5th September 2010. The advertisements for the show promised a live stage featuring top artists, a masterclass room sponsored by Mikedolbear.com and a large exhibition of drums and related products. I spent the first day there to check it out and report back for the site.
Arriving early on a bright Saturday morning, a large queue had already formed. A good sign! The doors opened and the masses shuffled towards the lifts as the show was on the third floor. As people emerged from the lift the first thing to greet their eyes was the resplendent Premier stand. Their outstanding new Genista range was on display, along with the Elites, sitting on smart Baskey Drum Rugs with the Premier logo on them. With their appetites whetted, everyone passed security and the show was soon bustling with keen eyed drummers.
Andy Fisenden
As I walked around trying to get the measure of the show it became apparent that, though it wasn''t an enormous event, every thing that a drummer could want was there. A fellow visitor described the show to me as “bijoux”. Imagine a rough U-shape around the Live Stage auditorium with the Mikedolbear.com master class suite on the left and the main exhibitor''s hall on the right. At the bottom there were more exhibitors, the Drummer Magazine stand and the all important bar.
The exhibitor''s hall housed an impressive and very varied range of exhibitors, with small UK companies blending in with some of the “big boys”. The combination worked particularly well and there was plenty to keep every kind of percussive artist happy. A ten minutes per hour noise limit was enforced to enable people to talk to the exhibitors and for everyone to maintain their sanity. As well as a rich array of drums, cymbals, cases and percussion instruments there were new products on show, including the much discussed “Bum Chum” system, which enables a bass drum beat to be routed through a tactile generator in a specially made throne.
Craig Blundell and Rico Loop
Personal show favourites of mine included Matt Nolan''s exquisitely made cymbals and gongs, the fabulous Gon Bops percussion offerings and the Ford drums display on the ADS stand – now the drum of choice for last year''s Young Drummer of the Year winner Richard Rayner. Special mention also has to go to the snare drum on the Shine drums stand which was wrapped in cow hide, complete with hair. In addition to the drum gear, there were also stands representing music publishers and the Institute for Contemporary Music Performance. Jake Brown, runner up in the last Young Drummer of the Year competition, demonstrated an earthy sounding Guru kit similar to the one that''s currently being built for him.
Though some of the big drum brands presented their world renowned wares, notably Yamaha and Pearl, it would be nice to see more of the larger manufacturers in the future. Happily the exhibitors that supported the show filled the space and it was pleasing to see first rate UK custom drum producers like Guru, Jobeky and Gatton included in the mix.
Pete Lockett
The ambiance at the show was busy but relaxed and friendly. There were plenty of opportunities to meet famous drummers. Steve Gadd officially opened the show at midday and visitors were invited to meet him, Nick Mason, Gavin Harrison, Karl Brazil and others at signing sessions. The informal atmosphere meant that almost anyone was happy to stop and talk drums. Mr Vic Firth also came to support the event and drumming comic Al Murray made an appearance on the stand of his drum customising partnership, Pimpco Drums.
On the day that I was there the Mikedolbear.com masterclass suite housed an unusual variety of top class performers. The first session was a fascinating and entertaining insight into the world of film soundtrack production with Ralph Salmins and Paul Clarvis. They shared some of their trade secrets and reproduced some of their film music live. This was followed by a lively flamenco masterclass with Albert Vila, with the authentic and dazzling Spanish dancer Monica Cano. The next class continued the variety with the combination of Roland demonstrator Craig Blundell and the flamboyant German beat boxer Rico Loop. Their completely improvised performance combined Rico''s unique vocal gymnastics with Craig''s mastery of electronic gadgetry to astonishing effect.
Ralph Salmins and Paul Clarvis
Bass player Dave Marks and drummer Darren Ashford, aka RhythmMatters, also appeared in the suite, providing short clinics as an opener for each of the main clinicians. They provided gems of knowledge on technique, grooves and band member communication.
The day''s masterclasses concluded with a packed house revelling in a demonstration by, as Mike Dolbear introduced him, “one of the world''s greatest drummers” Dave Weckl. Dave gave the crowd a thorough lesson in the fundamentals of drumming which grew into a dazzling show of what can be achieved with proper attention to technique and many years of dedicated practice. Everyone came away feeling very inspired by the experience.
Ndugu Chancler
The programme of artists performing on the Live Stage throughout the day comprised Kasabian''s Ian Matthews, Australia''s Andy Fisenden, Young Drummer of the Year 2010 winner Ben Clarke, Mike Mangini from the USA and his compatriot Ndugu Chancler. They pulled enthusiastic crowds and demonstrated their immense and diverse talents to the full.
Sunday''s performances reportedly went extremely well too. Dave Weckl, Nisan Stewart, Pete Lockett and Benny Greb all thrilled the crowds on the Live Stage. The Mikedolbear.com crew ran similar programme to Saturday, but with Ndugu Chancler instead of Dave Weckl. Also on Sunday, Richard Rayner had his famous mohawk spikes removed in aid of the family of Chris Dagley who tragically died recently. It was a typically generous gesture by Richard, and for a premium he allowed Mike Dolbear to cut off the first spike.
Benny Greb
The consensus is that this was a “proper” drum show organised for the drumming community by people who knew exactly what was required. Comparisons have been drawn with the glory days of the Drummer Live shows at Wembley. This year''s multi-instrumental London Music Show was cancelled just prior to the London Drum Show and this may well have encouraged drummers to show their support for the occasion too. A spokesman from Oyster House told me that the attendance over the two days was around 2000 people. Buoyed by the very positive reception, they plan to repeat the event at Olympia next year and make it bigger and even better. It seems that the London Drum Show has instantly become a landmark event for UK drummers.
