May saw what would have been John Bonham’s 62^nd birthday. We raised a glass to the drum legend by looking back at his finest moments.

Taylor Hawkins headed to the UK in May with the Coattail Riders for what will surely go down as one of the shows of the year. He also had a few friends on hand to make a surprise appearance. It. Was. Awesome.

The month also saw us catch up with Alkaline Trio’s Derek Grant. The modern-day punk master showed us around his kit, which includes a monster kick drum.

The Mike Portnoy saga continued as the bearded drum hero announced that he would tour with Avenged Sevenfold. Where did this leave Dream Theater we all asked. Well, on hold until his return, surely. They couldn’t continue with Portnoy now, could they?

Jobeky put on its superb drum show for the second year, with one room dedicated to gorgeous kit (just check out our gallery feature to see our pick) and another full of awesome clinics. An unbelievably good job all round.