BIMM Night of Drums goes with a bang!

On 20 April the sound of thundering drums on board the good ship Thekla in Bristol signaled the arrival of the South West´s newest and most exciting music school, the Bristol Institute of Modern Music (BIMM Bristol). James Hester (Malakia), Craig Blundell (Bruce Dickinson, King Crimson) and Jason Bowld (Pitchshifter/This Is Menace) gave 130 Bristol drummers and the Rhythm team the chance to get up close and personal showing what hard work, practice and focus can achieve.

James Hester demonstrated how to develop simple patterns into usable groove ideas. Craig Blundell wowed the audience with his ability to bend time signatures and Jason Bowld took the audience through double bass and solid beat development ideas. The trio concluded the night by playing a medley together which was simply incredible! To round off the night in style BIMM Bristol College Manager Mark Clayden (Pitchshifter/This Is Menace) gave away hundreds of pounds worth of Mapex gear to some very lucky winners!

BIMM Bristol drum student Ed Gallimore said: "Absolutely amazing! The guys really covered all of the bases, James showed how simple ideas can change the feel of a track, Craig was inspiring, motivational and very funny and Jason explained how he developed the skills that make him the monster player he is -I got years of practice material in just three hours!"

James Hester Head Of Drums BIMM Bristol said: "It was awesome to see so many people turn out in support of BIMM! There are stacks of great ideas being put out by all of the drummers with something for everyone. This is the start of the Bristol BIMM voyage and what a way to start!'



Craig Blundell kicks into his 15 minutes, 100 song medley!


Jason Bowld slices in to some mind-blowing metal

Chris Barnes

I'm MusicRadar's eCommerce Editor. In addition to testing the latest electronic drum sets, it's my job to manage the buyer's guides on MusicRadar and help musicians find the right gear and the best prices. I'm a guitarist and a drummer and I've worked in the music gear industry for 19 years, including 7 years as Editor of the UK's best-selling drum magazine Rhythm, and 5 years as a freelance writer working with many of the world's biggest musical instrument brands including Roland, Boss, MusicRadar and Natal.