10. Steve White (The Family Silver)
The Rhythm Best in drums 2017 polls have received over 137,000 votes, and we're now ready to roll out the winners. The nominees were what we considered to be the drummers and gear that have excelled in 2017. Here, we present the best British rock drummers of 2017. First up we have The Family Silver drummer Steve White...
2017 highlight: Steve White takes his role as unofficial ambassador for drumming in the UK very seriously. A fierce technician, an absolute gentleman and with a rock drumming pedigree that spans decades, Steve is 100 percent committed to each and every project. While The Family Silver weren’t massively active this year, recent live shows and a tour-only EP reminded us how much we love the band, and how much Steve White rocks.
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9. Gareth Grover (Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes)
2017 highlight: Last year Gareth was nominated in our best new drummer category, but in the last year he’s proven himself more than worthy of entering the big leagues. The band had a storming year, performing life-affirming sets at Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds and festivals across Europe. But it was Grover’s performance on smash hit second album Modern Ruin that set him apart from the Brit rock crowd.
8. Jamie Morrison (Stereophonics)
2017 highlight: We’ve always admired Jamie’s drumming, all the way back to when he played with livewire rockers The Noisettes, but on this year’s Stereophonics album Scream Above The Sounds Jamie truly came of age. The drumming was faultless, dynamic and highlighted what a gifted player he is.
7. Josh MacIntyre (Marmozets)
2017 highlight: The prodigious Yorkshire band has been quiet for much of 2017, but when Marmozets unleashed energetic new track Play in August it became clear they had been honing their sound behind the scenes and morphing into a rock juggernaut. Josh’s playing has evolved from the schizophrenic beats of debut album The Weird And Wonderful Marmozets, to powerful, direct and groove-fuelled. We’ve heard new album Knowing What You Know Now and Josh’s playing is going to blow your socks off.
6. Ian Matthews (Kasabian)
2017 highlight: Aside from co-owning successful drum business the British Drum Company, Ian’s day job is laying the mighty, attitude-laden grooves for Kasabian. In May of 2017 the band released new album For Crying Out Loud which presented Matthews on typically fine form. From the stomp of Twentyfourseven to the rock and roll drive of Comeback Kid, Ian hit a home-run on this one. Oh, and the band headlined Reading and Leeds festivals too. Not a bad way to round off the summer.
5. Dan McDougall (Liam Gallagher)
2017 highlight: You’d be forgiven for being unfamiliar with the name Dan McDougall but, if the popularity of Liam Gallagher’s new music is anything to go by, you’ve certainly heard him play. Dan lent his rock solid beats to some of Gallagher’s debut solo album As You Were, and has become the ex-Oasis man’s drummer of choice on the road.
4. Ben Thatcher (Royal Blood)
2017 highlight: Since exploding onto the rock scene in 2014 with Royal Blood’s self-titled debut album, drummer Ben Thatcher has proven the key pillars of rock drumming are power, groove and carefully placed notes, rather than technique or busy chops. As a result he’s become one of the UK’s newest rock drum heroes and inspired countless others to pick up the sticks. Even better, he pushed that point home all over again on this year’s How Did We Get So Dark?.
3. Eddy Thrower (Lower Than Atlantis)
2017 highlight: Lower Than Atlantis have had quite the year. They kicked it off by releasing the sensational Safe In Sound, complete with Eddy Thrower’s stomping drums on opener Had Enough, and closed it out by slaying arenas as support to Enter Shikari. In between, Eddy could found lighting up his Facebook artist page with awe-inspiring displays of chops and taste behind the kit.
2. Rufus Taylor (The Darkness)
2017 highlight: The Darkness’ fifth album Pinewood Smile was Rufus Taylor’s first opportunity to show what he was truly capable of with the eccentric rock band, and boy did he deliver. The rip-roaring, Bonham-esque Buccaneers Of Hispaniola and the inspired snare and tom intro to Southern Trains are just a couple of examples of Taylor’s fine contribution. Considering his dad is the one and only drummer of Queen, it was almost inevitable some of that drum legend magic would rub off.
Winner: Dom Howard (Muse)
2017 highlight: It’s official: British rock music is alive and well, thanks in no small part to the bombastic Brit drummers listed here. Leading the charge is Muse’s rock solid groove merchant Dominic Howard. The band’s Reading and Leeds headline extravaganzas were nothing short of spectacular, with Dom expertly locking things down at the core.
“He was playing this kit that had cushions in it and tape all over it. It didn’t sound like Rodge”: Queen hated Roger Taylor’s drum sound on their debut album so much that they “augmented” every beat for its reissue
“It’s his message, to let the world know how he feels about all the things that’s going on in the world”: Kool and the Gang drummer spent 20 years on a solo album but didn’t live to see its release
