LOUISE BARTLE | From Bedroom Drummer to Bloc Party

From picking up the drumsticks at 13 to performing with Bloc Party at some of the biggest venues in the world, Louise Bartle’s career has been built on a mixture of hard work, putting herself out there, and as she openly admits, a little bit of luck.

Louise’s musical journey actually began with the guitar, inspired by her dad, but drums were always calling. Her parents were initially unsure about the idea of their daughter becoming a drummer…

Once she finally got behind the kit, however, Louise became obsessed.

“I didn’t really go out and do the usual teenage stuff,” she explains. “My experience was, right, I’m locking myself away all the time… drums, nonstop.”

That dedication eventually led her to music university, but Louise quickly realised that a qualification alone wasn’t going to create the career she wanted. Instead, she began deliberately putting herself into uncomfortable situations, attending jam nights, meeting musicians outside university and using the emerging world of social media to get her playing in front of more people.

That approach opened doors, including opportunities with artists such as Eliza Doolittle and Selena Gomez, before eventually leading to Bloc Party.

Interestingly, Louise admits she wasn’t a huge Bloc Party fan before joining the band. In fact, she barely knew their music when she auditioned.

“I think it worked in my favour,” she says. “Kelly and Russell would not have enjoyed if I had been a big fan.”

Since joining Bloc Party, Louise has found herself performing in some extraordinary places, from Madison Square Garden and the Hollywood Bowl to Red Rocks and Glastonbury. Supporting Paramore was particularly special, given how much the band had inspired her growing up.

But Louise is also keen to highlight a side of touring that isn’t always visible on social media.

The highs can be enormous, but coming home from a major tour and suddenly returning to normal life can be a difficult adjustment.

“I’d love to talk about the mental health aspect,” she says. “No one can prepare you for the big highs, but then… it’s got to come down, and that part’s hard.”

That honesty will form part of Louise’s appearance at The UK Drum Show, where she’ll be performing a masterclass and discussing everything from her approach to Bloc Party songs and her own material, to the realities of working in the music industry.

Her advice to aspiring musicians is refreshingly straightforward: practice, play, network, create content and, most importantly, put yourself out there.

“You’ve got to just put yourself in those scenarios,” she says.

For Louise Bartle, that’s clearly a philosophy that has worked and she’s still pushing herself to see where it can take her next.