"Stuart has a fond interest in the percussion instruments." - preschool report 1982

My earliest memory of hearing any 'music' is Kate Bush's 'Babooshka', when it was released in 1980 and I was four - Pop music has been a most convenient vehicle for all my childhood memories.  It would be a while since those formative years at preschool in Cape Town until I'd be faced with a full set of drums to ponder.  There was some chance involved as well, because I'd been through primary school without touching anything resembling a drum and had since forgotten my natural affinity to bash things since pre-school.  When my family moved to a different suburb, I changed schools and there I chanced upon a 4-piece Ludwig drumkit in Mod Orange in the stationary depository.  I was hooked, but so were a handful of other young 14-year olds.   The youthful exuberance and rivalry that followed pushed us all to new limits in speed and beat creation.  A modicum of sticking discipline was introduced in the form of the school's 'Drums and Percussion Course' where I studied drum notation, rudiments and orchestral playing.  I was also included in the school's Eisteddfod entries for two years running as well as remain the primary drummer in the school's Jazz/Rock Ensemble.

 

At around the same time, my parents bought me a drumkit and so it was that my first kit was also of a citrus variety in colour:  A second hand Maxtone 5-piece in bright yellow wrap.  Set up in the garage of the family home, I worked at playing to my favourite songs using my collection of mix tapes through vintage earphones and a 70's era Sony mini-hifi.  I enjoyed working out beats to radio songs as well as my dad's collection of music.  So, my early influences consisted of noteworthy bands such as Queen, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Elton John and Dire Straits.  I was intrigued by the radio music around that time as well, including the synth pop of Prefab Sprout, Tears For Fears and A-ha, the Sophisti-Pop of Level42, Spandau Ballet and Simply Red, as well as the more rock-worthy of late eighties music like Simple Minds and Toto.  My introduction by my aunt to The Police really spurred me into working out more sophisticated beats offered by none other than Stewart Copeland.  Any drummer that Sting has worked with since remains in my top all-time favourites and influences, but Stewart remains my numero uno.

 

My successes at secondary school lead to my involvement in the school play and stage productions, which included performances of Grease, as well as a collection of others.  'A Musical Carpet Ride' showcased popular West End and Broadway shows like West Side Story, Cats, Evita, The Phantom Of The Opera, Les Misérables and Miss Saigon.  I was also introduced to functions and cover band playing at around this time, learning most of the pop and rock  arrangements of the eighties and nineties that are still popular today.

 

During my high school years I was influenced by the music of the time, mostly INXS and The Smiths, but in 1992 my musical world turned upside down with the arrival of Nirvana and the Seattle sound of the nineties.  I was 'auditioned' for an original punk rock band called Tourettes and later Clamjamfrey, influenced by Nirvana and Red Hot Chili Peppers.  After winning a drum-off with one of my mates, I was hired. We rocked out at mates' house parties and paying gigs at the local lifesaving club over weekends.  The band relocated to London in the late nineties.

 

I would go on to playing in and recording with various rock bands upon return to Cape Town, notably P.B.D and Vitamin X. But at the turn of the millennium I was asked to join a then up-and-coming Afro-Rock band named Soulja. The debut album release was a national success with the lead single (a cover of Bob Marley's 'War/No More Trouble) play listed on domestic radio stations. The band went on to headline one of South Africa's biggest music festivals for two years and enjoy good media coverage, along with a number of music videos produced.

 

I relocated to London permanently in 2006 and realised my dream of playing the live circuit in the old smoke once again.  I enjoyed (and still do!) the thrill of playing such varied and popular muso haunts like Camden's Dingwalls, Purple Turtle, Underworld and others like Monto Water Rats, The Halfmoon, Hoxton Underbelly and The Bedford.  Recording with blues rock outfit The Shotguns at Abbey Road Studios has been a major highlight and my involvement with some tribute acts, notably for The Cure, ZZ Top, Seasick Steve and Prefab Sprout have been fun and rewarding. 

 

I look forward to the next session as much as I do the next live show.  I'm currently working or have worked with The Honeymoon Sweets, The Shotguns, 29 Fingers, All New Exiles, Tom Wardle, Robin Auld and Sproutless.

 

Lately, I also teach beginners drum lessons in my spare time.