After a lot of planning and preparation, we are delighted to report that the Scottish Drum Fest 2015 was a huge success! It’s rare for us to actually enjoy an event as it was happening with there being so much to do, but this time we just felt it come together to become a great day for everyone. Each and every artist not only played their hearts out but were genuinely incredible people to be around.
Craig Blundell got us off to an absolute flyer with a mind-blowing set showcasing exactly why he’s been picked to play for prog legend Steven Wilson. Insane grooves and chops played on a monster kit!
Jim McDermott was up next with an amazing performance that saw him jump between genres, impart wise words and finish on one of the best renditions of Who Are You that we’ve ever seen. Oh – and he was playing a rather special new drum kit from British Drum Company.
Jost Nickel stunned the crowd with unbelievable fluidity and dynamics. Anyone who wasn’t aware of Jost before has likely now added him to their list of top drummers out there. His books didn’t last long upstairs – we’ll need to get some in stock in the shop!
Richard Spaven produced the kind of magic grooves that blew us away when we saw at the Meinl Drum Fest in Germany. Minimalism mixed with an incredible manipulation of time made him possibly the most unique player of the day.
Gabor Dornyei and Kornel Horvath gave a truly spectacular musical performance to finish the day. The interplay and technical abilities of both players was hugely inspirational. We couldn’t have asked for a better close!
Upstairs in the trade hall, we had some stunning gear on display. The Roland and Meinl stands were constantly busy, with show regulars Hardcase and Amedia always enjoying a crowd. The British Drum Company stand has probably been the most talked about in the few days since the show, with Kasabian’s Ian Matthews putting in surprise appearance to demo BDC’s “Executive” kit. There’s a video of that here:
The feedback we’ve had so far has been amazing, making us feel that this was all worthwhile. There are some quotes below which meant a lot to us:
Another fantastic event, great line up, great exhibits, great crowd, & great coffee ! And all washed down with a lovely warm sprinkling of love, respect and true passion which, for me is what makes you guys and DD Drums what it is……
– Malcolm Button
Really great day in Falkirk, and obviously a huge amount of work and organisation, so congratulations and thanks to all involved. I’ve got so much I’d like to say at length sometime, but for the moment, just a huge thanks – even my non-drumming, non-musical wife, Galina, was totally blown away. dDDrums is definitely the passionate, beating heart of drums in Scotland.
– Michael McIntosh
Congratulations to dD and crew for an absolutely fantastic Scottish Drum Fest. Utterly brilliant (and humble) Artists, every one a superstar of their craft. Also a huge well done to exhibitors for their great setups, friendly staff and stunning kits, and gear. Most impressive. Was blown away with British Drum Co, kits are akin to drum porn. Thank you dD drums, you should be very, very proud of yourselves. Cracked it again guys. And the coffee was superb (of course). See you all 2016.
– David Fernie
It’s a heartfelt thanks from us to all the artists, the people who turned out to attend the event, the great companies who supported our event and most of all our army of helpers.
With Christmas round the corner and plenty up out sleeves – there’s much more to come from us!
David and Stuart x
