As a writer I acknowledge that ‘thumpy’ is not technically a word, but will continue to advocate my right to use it to describe drum noises.
The Sydney Drum & Percussion Show (27-28 May) at Rosehill Gardens was very, very thumpy.
Australian session maestro Virgil Donati, Lucius Borich (Cog), Jake Taylor Sproule (Whoretopsy) and Ben Ellingworth (Illy) joined international drum wizards Thomas Lang, Michael Shack and Stan Bickwell, assembling for the first day of workshops, meet and greets, expert panels and interactive lessons.
There were displays by incendiary collectives Taikoz, Synergy, the TOCA drum circle, Sydney Conservatorium Percussion Ensemble, and performances by Pete Drummond and Lozz Benson (That Redhead). There was a Cajon ensemble, hand-percussion session and Ask The Pro’s workshop.
As a self-professed session solo and drum circle nerd, I was in heaven. So much drum porn. Grindcore blast beats. Smooth, groovy licks. Jazz hands. Snare rolls. And stick twirling. Metal shirts abound; little kids wander back and forth waving their sticks in the air. Watching artists on stage or just practising on one of the myriad instruments in the drum kit labyrinth set-up in the space.
The moments where the solos are so intense you find yourself holding your breath. The sun is in my eyes and the bass drum is in my ears. I'm in my happy place.
Lucius Borich - image © Facebook“I’m very grateful to be part of the drumming community, for the friends and support that I have here,” said Lucius Borich in his solo session, playing classic Cog tracks to an enraptured crowd that were clearly so grateful the band has reformed after a five-year hiatus.
He has immaculate technique and plays with what I can only describe as flourish, retaining that contained, joyful composure even when one of his sticks went flying over his head. “We’ve got an unbalanced stage, it feels like you’re riding a Harley.”
Coming from Belgium, Michael Shack bellows exuberantly into the crowd: “sunshine in winter, that’s new” and assuring everyone “It is completely forbidden in Europe to play drums in clogs”. His highly-engaging session involved demonstrations that spanned classic rock tracks by Nirvana and Rage Against The Machine to EDM and frenetic drum and bass beats.
Virgil Donati - image © FacebookThen Thomas Lang and Virgil Donati. Donati plays with an intensity of expression, like he is concentrating, trying hard and feeling each note. It’s probably how I would be if I was up to that level of technique; that almost pained expression, the fevered need to throw yourself into each beat and not muck it up.
Playing side by side with Virgil, Lang looks relaxed playfully exuding all the charm from his classically handsome, stupidly-chiselled face (he looks like a Chesty Bonds model from the 1950s). He plays with ease and frivolity, as if to say at every moment: 'This is easy, fuck you, I got more.'
People have commented that your drum face, the face you pull mesmerised when you have wholly surrendered to the intensity of the beat, is your sex face. This is not true of Thomas Lang’s playing in his solo session and Day 1 finale, but is true of the way he moves around the kit.
It’s like he’s dancing with the kick drum, a smooth flamenco tango from an old black and white movie. Then it all intensifies and it’s like he’s fucking it and the beat gets harder and harder to the point of climax. He got ‘riddim.
To conclude, I am running out of sex metaphors. This was an incredible showcase for maestros and novices alike. So many lessons and so much inspiration. Drum porn. Gig porn. Can’t wait for next year.
