Ben Sharp: From Teaching Drums, YUNGBLUD and The UK Drum Show

For Ben Sharp, becoming the drummer for YUNGBLUD wasn’t the result of a carefully planned career move or a high-profile audition. It actually began with a chance meeting more than a decade ago.

Sharp first met Dominic Harrison when the future YUNGBLUD frontman was just 15. Fourteen years later, after years of teaching drums, playing functions and working his way through the music industry, Sharp finally received the call that would change everything.

“I did have, like, a little preemptive with Dom before anything happened,” he explains. “The first thing I hit with him (Dom) was the Live Lounge, which had obviously been a bucket list for everyone.”

At the time, Sharp was still working as a peripatetic drum teacher in schools around Leeds. The sudden run of YUNGBLUD-related work arrived during the chaos of COVID, with appearances including the MTV EMA Awards being filmed in warehouses rather than performed live.

But stepping onto the stage with YUNGBLUD required more than simply playing the songs. Sharp quickly discovered that Dom wanted something bigger.

“He just turned around and was just like, ‘I need more from you.’”

The result has been a live drumming style built around energy and controlled chaos. With YUNGBLUD shows renowned for their unpredictability, Sharp says every performance requires the band to trust each other, particularly when they don’t know exactly what Dom might do next.

That philosophy is reflected in his kit, too. His current setup features a 22″ bass drum, 13″ rack tom, and 16″ and 18″ floor toms, alongside a bell brass main snare and phosphorus bronze auxiliary snare.

“It’s a big rock gig, so we wanted the big rock sound,” he says.

Now Sharp is preparing for another first: his debut appearance at The UK Drum Show, where he’ll take part in Mike Dolbear’s masterclass room on Sunday 25 October.

His session promises to be a diverse one, featuring YUNGBLUD material, comparisons between recorded and live interpretations and some more technical material he has written with a collaborator.

Despite playing arenas in front of 10,000 or 20,000 people, Sharp admits that performing in front of hundreds of drummers could actually be more nerve-wracking.

“…I think I’m going to be pretty scared,” Ben said whilst talking about his upcoming performance.

For Sharp, The UK Drum Show is also a long-standing ambition finally being realised. And his advice to the next generation of drummers is refreshingly simple: keep working, stay positive and don’t impose a deadline on yourself.

“I just don’t ever think there is no time limit. So don’t put a time constraint on yourself. Just keep working and working. And one day if the call comes, be ready.”

After years of grinding away behind the kit, Ben Sharp knows exactly what it means when that call finally arrives.