I grew up in Cardiff and I started playing the drums at around the age of 8. Music was ever-present in my life and I rose the ranks of the various orchestras, brass bands and percussion ensembles of the Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan music service. Most notably playing for the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, touring Europe multiple times with the High Schools Brass Band and performing with The Advanced Percussion Ensemble at festivals, music competitions and prestigious music venues around Wales and the UK.
In 2009 I turned down the opportunity to go to New York to play with the National Youth Orchestra as I was moving to London to further my studies in music at The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance. Here I got stuck into a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Musicianship and was awarded ‘Best Overall Student’ 2012 and ‘Most Improved Drummer’ 2013.
Since graduating I have continued to learn and grow as a session musician recording at some of the world’s most established recordings studios such as Abbey Road, AIR, Snap!, 123 Studios and Rockfield. Working with world-renowned producers and engineers such as John Leckie (The Stone Roses, Muse, Doctors of Madness, Radiohead) Rob Wilks (The Foals, Florence + The Machine, Indoor Pets) Laurence Anslow (Fortnight In Florida), Fiona Cruickshank (Jacob Collier, Marc Shaiman, Alex Baranowski) and Brian O’Shaughnessy (Primal Scream, Band of Holy Joy, My Bloody Valentine).
Outside of the studio, I have performed and toured extensively around the UK and Europe with several different artists and bands such as Doctors of Madness, The Phenomenal Rise of Richard Strange, Harpo Smith, The Wishing Well, Orlando Seale and Swell and Fortnight In Florida. Supporting artists such as Nadine Shah, Johnny Borrell, Phil Manzanera, The Psychedelic Furs, Patti Smith, Ms Dynamite, Courtney Barnett and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds along the way.
Whilst continuing to record and perform as a session musician I also mentor and tutor students of all ages and abilities on the drums, percussion and the music industry. Using my experience and knowledge to inspire them to further their own studies and ambitions to playing, performing and create music.
Musicians now need a wider skill set to forge a successful career in the music industry. You have to understand and execute many different aspects of the online driven music business and be willing to constantly learn new things. You have to be able to create content, manage your time, manage money, manage social media, understand marketing, record high-quality video and audio, practice your instrument and master creative technologies such as logic, photoshop and final cut pro to put the content together.
Most recently I have been educating myself on the world of music marketing and putting into practice the things I have learnt with my originals project Fortnight In Florida. I have been building a fanbase on a global scale through the use of online advertisements. Driving listeners and new fans to our social media profiles and streaming platforms. For example on Spotify, within the space of 4 months, I had grown our listenership from 50 monthly listeners to around 3000. Unlocking Spotify’s algorithmic playlists and engaging with our newly found global audience. This has helped grow our streams to over 150,000 in the first 6 months of 2020 so far.
Some of my biggest drumming influences include Chad Smith, David Grohl, Brad Wilks, Tony Royster Jnr, Aaron Spears, Dennis Chambers, Chuck Sabo, Bernard Purdie and Ian Thomas.
