Sam only started drumming in February 2023, after telling his parents one day out of the blue that he wanted to learn. We researched and found him a tutor, Jess Weston of JW Drum school in Stoke and from the first moment he sat down behind the drum kit he found his ‘home.’

From day one, drumming has taken over his life. He drums every second he can get, either on his electric kit at home – which started off small and has been added to and upgraded – during his weekly drumming lessons, in a studio that he hires with his band mates or during his music lessons at school. He even goes to the music room to drum during lunch breaks and stays late after school to practice too! When he’s not near a drum kit, he’s ‘air drumming’ anything he can get his hands on, be that his legs, the sofa, the dogs … anything within reach is drummed!

He has passed his grades 4 and 5 with distinction and is about to get started on his grade 6. Last September, after drumming for just 6 months he attended and took part in a Drum Shed in Liverpool run by ‘Red Cymbals’, playing with experienced and older drummers. From there, he encouraged his love of playing with other musicians by forming a local band that he plays with on a regular basis, both in and out of school.

His music teacher has recognised his talent and often gets him to play the drums for school events, open evenings and most recently at a charity event playing alongside his band to provide music for the day.

In his quest to save for and buy his own acoustic drum kit Sam travelled to Southampton to visit Graham Russell drums and while there, played for an audience who gathered to hear him. Recently, Sam joined a local ‘Drum and Strum’ event where he jams with other musicians twice a month.

Sam is studying GCSE music with a view to go on to do music performance at college and later on, university.  He loves a vast range of music from rock to indie, jazz, blues and soul. He listens to an album daily in different genres to broaden his interests, and when this became the norm, he increased it to two albums. His main influences are The Beatles, Oasis, The Who, Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Pink Floyd. His favourite drummers are Keith Moon, Taylor Hawkins, and Neil Peart. He loves nothing more than performing and it is his dream to play on the Main Stage Mini.