When the entries for the final top twelve contenders were decided, the finals were set to take place. Birmingham, England was where the stage was set and where battle would commence. However, this is a ‘competition’ in the loosest term of the word. There is no competitiveness, rather just a way of encouraging young drummers to work on their playing and to recruit new drummers into the fold.

The day started early on with much setting up to be done, free giveaways to be arranged and site competition winners to be rewarded, with the actual show kicking off at 2pm.   Mike Dolbear was the master of ceremonies for the day and he began by introducing the seven judges who were Andy Edwards, Ade Hollingbrook from ad&r promotions, Phil Solomon, Jerome Marcus from Sabian, Ralph Salmins, Simon Hanson and Geoff Dugmore.  Mike explained the scoring system in place which gave each competitor a maximum amount of points available to them.  As if playing in front of the audience under suh pressure wasn’t bad enough, each competitor also had to have a 5 minute interview with the judges.  Each competitor had to do a two minute solo, before playing along with a guitar and bass player to a tune written for the competition and finally a Blues shuffle.  The competitors were given the tune three weeks before the finals but only heard the shuffle on the day!  Not easy!

With everything ready and running surprisingly close to being on time, the show begins.

David Elliot
David, the youngest of our competitors at only 14, had the job of kicking things off, and did so in great style. Despite the fact that he was nervous, (to say the least) he sat down at the kit and launched into a rendition of Steve Gadd’s famous groove on Paul Simon’s 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover. A smile came to the judge’s faces as they immediately appreciated the homage and it was great stuff from there on in. David’s solo piece took us through some interesting grooves, mostly making great use of rudiments and their application to the whole set, some great Latin stuff too.

Song 1. David counted off the song and then flew around the kit with alternating hand/feet doubles before launching into a staunch and sturdy 16th note groove. His bass drum lay well with the bass  player and he confidently plucked out choice passages of the song to show off some syncopation skills.

Song 2, Now, bearing in mind the competitors had only heard this track once this morning, they were basically jamming along with the band. David had told us backstage that he was errmmm… apprehensive, about this part, but tackled it well. He aimed (for the most part) to keep the groove happening to make it easier for the other players, which was a good move. Nice start to the day!

Nathan Hatwell
Nathan confidently started his solo with a great show of doubles between his hats and snare drum. As the solo unfolded, you could see that this drummer had worked on his technique for some time. He played some great tom flurries between hand and feet with the help of his double pedals and managed to find some places for grooves too. He did what I think I’d do in this situation, and demonstrated his ability to play in several styles. Some were more faithful than others, (the jazz part was technically great but “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that…”) the Latin part being massively impressive. Man, this guy has independence! With the clave established, he soloed over his foot ostinato with speed and dexterity making some of the judges gasp in disbelief. His polyrhythms did literally sound like four different (and very good) drummers.

Song 1. Counting the song off confidently, Nathan made his approach to the tune different from all the others. He played his snare backbeat on the ‘&’ of the first beat (a la Harvey Mason on ‘Chameleon’) so it would syncopate with the bass and guitar accents. It gave the groove a very interesting and staggered feel, which was very welcome. Come the middle of the tune, Nathan doubled the tempo to play some nice drum ‘n’ bass grooves. Good stuff.

Song 2. Again, Nathan chose to stick to the groove, which meant he got through the piece unscathed. He moved from hats to the ride for the bridges of songs and played the tune musically.

Chris King
Chris sat down at the kit and flew. Literally. He started off his piece with a flurry round the kit using his double pedal. He had chops and they all came out during this solo! He interspersed the chops with some grooves, and some particularly nice playing on the actual rims of the drums. This was different from anything else we’d seen and anything different might be enough to help a player stick out. (There are only so much chops and listening to people go hell-for-leather one can take!) Nice one.

Song 1. By contrast, Chris’ song was kept very simple which showed great musicality. At no point did he cloud the tune with overplaying or anything that didn’t suit the music. Even the opportunity to shine technically was pushed aside by a very simple fill, which was very refreshing and showed a commitment to the song.

Song 2. Chris (like the other contestants) had only heard this song once this morning and his nerves showed. He played the right groove, but was focused on his drumming and not so much the band, meaning the tune sped and slowed a bit. Chris wasn’t the only one to suffer from this problem, that’s why this piece was included. After some pushing and tugging, the song settled and sounded good.

Guy Jones
Guy launched into his solo at 100mph and didn’t relent until the end! His influences were obvious and doing him some good by the looks of his playing. Playing metal, rock and punk licks, his use of the double pedal was the best we’ve seen so far. The first player to make facial expressions, really made a difference to the playing, it showed he played with passion, which meant he had the crowd behind him too.

Song 1. Guy didn’t step back in the song either. He counted off the tune and played it in his own style, which is what this day is all about. Forcing the musicians to take his lead, and with a heavy aggressive groove, he played a version of the song nobody had heard before. Just what the doctor/judges ordered.

Song 2. Because I had seen the style of Guy’s playing up until now, I assumed he wouldn’t be able to tackle the shuffle as well. I’m glad I was proved totally wrong! He bought his own style to the tune again, and showed some nice work on the bell of the ride. A great version of the song, Guy left the stage with his head held high, and rightly so.

Paul Stanley McKenzie
At only 14 years of age, Paul might have been the most nervous person in the dressing room. Well, if he was, he didn’t show it. He was relaxed and calm (and even had to be woken up to go on stage!) and had the right attitude from the start. He said “I’m in it for the music” which made him the right guy for the job from the start. The only player out of all twelve contestants to use a single pedal, Paul’s main influence of Gerald Heyward was evident from the start. He did no soloing per se, playing only grooves. And man, did they cook! That’s not to say that he didn’t have speed, because when he went round the kit, his doubles and singles were fast! This chap had the right outlook, people were nodding and smiling the whole way through as he shuffled his beats and straightened them out with intensity and heart. In a display of showmanship, Paul even span his sticks during the grooves which made the crowd fall for him instantly.

Song 1. After that, I was looking forward to seeing him play with some musicians. I wasn’t disappointed; he has been the only person to look at the musicians as they played so far! He communicated with them visually and aurally making for some great music. His style bought a hip-hop/R&B influence which hadn’t been heard all day and was very welcome. The crowd loved him.

Song 2. Showing absolute musicality, Paul waited for the musicians to establish the foundations of the song, choosing to play lightly over the cymbals until he came in. When he did, he played with feel, style and great dynamics and sensitivity. Constant communication and the right attitude with the musicians mean this guy will ALWAYS get work, no matter what he’s playing.

George Bird
George is our second exclusively traditional grip player of the day. He showed some great grooves, great chops and great chops within grooves. He was confident and seemed to be able to master the more technical side of the instrument with no bother at all.

Song 1. Rather than launch into a groove, George played rhythms on the toms and snare over the musicians vamp. This was a very different approach that made that part of the song interesting to listen to. Unfortunately, George played out a lot over the musicians which made the track hard to listen to and stopped it from every really grooving. This was a shame because he had played some great grooves in his solo piece.

Song 2. Having only ever heard this song once this morning, people had until now held back and listened in. George did this for the first couple of bars but then played out over the top of the musicians. In doing so he showed off his technique, but at the cost of musicality and compassion for the song. Never the less, a different performance again, which might separate him from the rest.

Joe Breban
Joe was another heavy player, but what was nice is that he had a totally different style to Guy. He was also musical and showed some fast double pedal work and an ability to rock a groove. He took one tom away from the kit that everyone was given which meant what he did play had to be a touch more creative. It was great and he didn’t disappoint. Fast, groovy and played from his heart, great stuff.

Song 1. He was very musical! Again, he showed respect to the other musicians by letting them breathe with a nice 8th note ‘nu-metal’ groove that saw him lock with the bass player perfectly. He played loudly in most parts of the song but showed his sensitivity by quietening down in the more delicate passages. Well played.

Song 2. Joe felt his way well through this and played a great part. His awareness of the other musicians onstage meant that they finished perfectly together and the tempo was locked tight the whole way through. Well-done Joe!

Warren Digney
Warren Digney had a great idea for a solo, and he pulled it off well! He started with a swung floor tom pattern a la “Sing Sing Sing”. What a great plan! This gave some of the non-drummers in the audience something to latch onto after several hours of chops and drummer-friendly playing. His playing throughout the whole solo was very solid and the Preston lad should have felt dead proud of his performance.

Song 1. Warrens loose playing style helped him out no end in this song, he grooved well and played the song. He left space in the bass drum pattern and filled around the guitar and bass players’ parts nicely. Another great performance.

Song 2. After a couple of hard bars, Warren felt his way into the tune and managed to play a steady upbeat shuffle. This really is a difficult part of the show and is designed to make drummers slip up just like this. Once he regained his groove he saw out the end of the song with gusto.

Ian Hendry
Speed, speed, speed. This guy has speed. Speed in spades, and chops to go with it. An obvious Vinnie Colaiuta fan, Ian played a technically phenomenal part in his solo. Interspersed with hi hat stabs, odd times, double pedal chops and a left hand that might make Vinnie jealous, Ian literally leaves jaws hanging. His comfort and relaxed look made it look so easy. Awesome stuff.

Song 1. Ian continued to impress the audience and judges as he launched confidently into the song with some nice bass/tom fills paving the way for a steady, grooving 16th note pattern. A very nice arrangement of the song included some laying back and some playing out in perfect balance.

Song 2. Not as good as his last performances, it seems nobody is as confident in this shuffle as we’d hoped. None the less, it’s still very good, just not as good as the last two bits from Ian. Highlights included a nice breakdown into half-time, demonstrating some nice diversity to the song.

Peter Hodge
Peter opened his solo with some nice playing. He showed a good grasp of his rudiments throughout, linking one into another very well. The highlight of his solo for me was some of the Latin playing he did over a samba bass drum pattern. It was a great base to work from and show off some of the speed and control he had in his left hand.

Song 1. Peter played a nice part with some choppy grooves and some syncopated playing with the bass guitar. He had rehearsed the piece well and the playing shone through. I was a little worried that he might be on the verge of ‘over-cooking’ his playing by doing fills at the end of every two bars, but he got to the end of the tune and played well.

Song 2. Peter chose to play out a lot in this song leading to a loss of momentum, clouded melody lines and a lack of groove as a result. Not knowing the arrangement caused some problems when he found the song had changed direction underneath what he was playing. Peter showed us all he could groove in his solo, but it would have been nice to have heard that here too.

Emily Dolan Davis
I’m not even going to mention the fact that she’s a girl. Damn, I just did. Still, it doesn’t matter, as I am a witness that girls can certainly play as well (and much better in some cases) than the boys. Emily was absolutely musical in her solo. While she didn’t have the speed of some of the other contestants, she more than made up for it in the way she played a groove. She was the only single contestant that swung. Lots played jazz ride patterns, but only Emily really made it convincing, and not just an exercise from a book. This showed total maturity and a real commitment to the music.

Song 1. Totally musical. She played the perfect part, not too busy, not to laid back. Funk one moment; drum ‘n’ bass when the momentum needed shifting up a gear. The perfect part. The most important thing was she didn’t take her eyes off the musicians once. This young player will get work forever with skills like this. She grooved and communicated with the rest of her ‘band’ perfectly and the fact of the matter is people will want to pay with her because of it.

Song 2. Again, Emily’s mature playing saw her through the tough tune. She laid back and grooved while keeping a constant eye on the musicians. In fact she was the only player the whole event to thank the players after the song with a smile and a handshake. The musicians even said afterwards how good her playing and communication felt, and ranked her amongst the best of the day. This sixteen year old played and acted like a pro.

Matthew Weir
I’ve got to say, in the dressing room, this guy had me blown away by his speed. The guy is a pipe band drummer from Northern Ireland and has some of the unnaturally fastest hands I’ve seen let alone on a chap his age. There was a part of me that just wished he’d done his solo on a lone snare drum at the front of the stage. Luckily some of his peed shone through anyway, with some inspiring Billy Cobham type playing around the toms, including his famous triplet/triplet semi-quaver pattern. Nice stuff.

Song 1. Matthew played a strong part, simple in technique, well executed and totally fitting of the song. He demonstrated some more of those Billy Cobham tom fills in the right places.

Song 2. Again he played a very steady beat and the song grooved around it as a result. Very solid again, some nice playing.

After interviews with the judges the jury was in and the winner was to be announced. It must be said, (and there simply is no way to say this without being all cheesy, so grin and bear it) that everyone on the stage today is a total winner. You can’t forget that even to get to this stage, the level of competition was amazingly high. These were the cream of hundreds of entries submitted to our site over the last few months, so to get anywhere near this standard is something to be more than a little proud of. The playing, the sharing of ideas that had gone on backstage, the maturity with which they conducted themselves and the sheer level of playing had made the day very special indeed.

Each finalist was given a goody bag, (a cymbal bag actually) stuffed with DVD’s, books, t-shirts, sticks, heads and a whole host of other stuff to be getting on with, but the winner at the end of the day was Ian Hendry. Some of the judges comments on Ian ranged from, “Very mature player, great speed and dexterity” to quite simply, “Wow!”.

This whole day was well worth the trip to see these players, even if you didn’t know people in the final. It is the only national event of its kind in the country and it’s a real showcase for our young British drumming talent.  Everyone learnt from these kids examples, myself included.  Well done to all the finalists and if you’re around on the 23rd of January 2005, come along to support next years competition!

Words Mark Pusey
Photos Gerry McDonnell

Videos of the finalists will be added to the site in a few weeks time