We all know that, as drummers, our job is to be the rock on stage, keeping the rest of the band in line. It’s a sizeable task, and when you hit the kind of level UK sessioneer Steve Barney is at, the demands just keep on piling up.

On his latest enormo-pop gig with chart-topping, hysteria-inducers The Wanted, Steve has not only the rigours of sold-out arenas, tons of pyro, triggering samples and generally holding together a huge show to deal with, he’s also faced with a pretty daunting challenge in drowning out the hordes of screaming girls that fill each venue the band plays.

Rhythm got a first-hand glimpse of the eardrum-bashing madness surrounding The Wanted as a group of teenage fans are let into Birmingham’s LG Arena while the band is mid-soundcheck. As dozens of doe-eyed fans sprint to the front of the stage to paw over their five pop pin-up idols, we spy a gleeful smile play across Steve’s face as he continues to lay the beat down in his unmistakably thundering style.

“I hit pretty hard but I think they probably win that battle,” Steve laughs when asked about the ear-piercing volume from the crowd each night.

Here we bring you pictures and details of the kit Steve uses with The Wanted, plus snippets of that interview, which you can read in full in Rhythm issue 202. Or you can subscribe to Rhythm Magazine to read interviews with the world’s top drummers each month.

Next: The kit