Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND - JUNE 28: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Danielle Haim of Haim performs on the Park stage during day four of Glastonbury festival 2025 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 28, 2025 in Glastonbury, England. Established by Michael Eavis in 1970, Glastonbury has grown into the UK's largest music festival, drawing over 200,000 fans to enjoy performances across more than 100 stages. In 2026, the festival will take a fallow year, a planned pause to allow the Worthy Farm site time to rest and recover. (Photo by Jim Dyson/Redferns)
Artists Danielle Haim names her biggest guitar influences, including the player she calls “the most underrated”
Beatles
Artists “It was stunning how good The Beatles were live”: Aerosmith’s Joe Perry on The Beatles and the Stones
Lead singer and guitarist Robert Smith of The Cure performs on stage at Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, Netherlands 25th November 2022
Gigs & Festivals “A run of shows to dream about”: Robert Smith announces line up for his first run of Teenage Cancer Trust concerts
push
Tech Ableton and Arturia reign supreme as Reverb reveals best-selling synths, samplers and drum machines of 2025
Steve Morse poses in the studio with his Ernie Ball Music Man signature model – not the guitar synth at the bridge.
Artists “Nobody can play better than that guy, man!”: Steve Morse on the supernatural powers of Petrucci, Johnson and Blackmore
Bill Ward of Black Sabbath, inductee, and Lars Ulrich of Metallica
Artists "I just love Metallica. I love Lars' drumming": naysayers, listen up - Bill Ward explains why Lars Ulrich is a brilliant drummer
Josh Freese
Artists “It was all done on GarageBand – it’s live drums, but over this goofy funk drum loop I’d done on my laptop out on tour”
Pair of Audio-Technica in-ear monitors sat on a case
Studio Monitors Best in-ear monitors 2025: IEMs for stage and studio
Man playing Roland TD716 electronic drum set in a studio
Electronic Drums Best electronic drum sets 2025: Top picks for every playing level and budget, tested by drummers – plus video and audio demos
EFnote Mini kit in our studio
Electronic Drums “The overall sample quality is decent, focusing on natural sounds within a mixed bag of styles, and promising to keep the majority happy”: EFnote Mini review
Josh Freese
Artists “People said, ‘Hey, I saw you’re on that Avril Lavigne record.’ I went, ‘Nah!'”: The drummer who’s played on 400 albums
Tom Morello
Artists How Tom Morello used his guitar to drill into the off-limits domain of the turntablist
Roland TD-02K and TD-02KV V-Drums electronic drum sets
Drum Kits Best electronic drum set for kids 2025: child-friendly electronic drum kits
A Fractal Audio VP4 Virtual Pedalboard multi-effects pedal on a concrete floor
Guitar Pedals Best multi-effects pedals 2025: Our pick of the best all-in-one guitar FX modellers
roland
Tech "It's the most influential drum machine ever created – and has likely featured on more records than any other": A history of Roland drum machines, from the TR-77 to the TR-1000
More
  • "The most expensive bit of drumming in history”
  • JoBo x Fuchs
  • Radiohead Daydreaming
  • Vanilla Fudge
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Artists
  2. Drummers

Drummer's World Cup: The 10 best Modern Rock/Indie/Punk drummers of all time

News
By Chris Burke published 30 November 2012

The results are in for the fourth group of the first round

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Clem Burke

Clem Burke

Innovatively fusing punk with disco, and making it all seem effortlessly cool, Clem helped fire New York new wave legends Blondie to chart success.

His grooves on the likes of 'Atomic', 'Heart Of Glass' and 'Picture This' ensured huge success for the band, and more recently he's got himself an honorary doctorate from the University of Gloucester for his work with the Clem Burke project which analyses the physical and psychological effects of drumming.

He scraped into the top half of the table, joint ninth. Well done, Dr Clem.

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Reni

Reni

Another close round with a lot of votes cast, this one. The bucket-hatted king of the Baggy shuffle, Reni, made an impressive start in the group but sadly lost out to the many other serious contenders in the running.

Reni's brilliant playing on Stone Roses classics such as 'I Am The Resurrection' and 'Fools Gold' put him in contention, but with just under 1% of the vote, he'll be heading home empty handed.

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Tre Cool

Tre Cool

The kit-smashing powerhouse in Green Day has evolved with the band's music from playing brash three-chord punk rock to creating concept albums and Broadway musicals.

Having mounted a serious challenge, the Green Day sticksman can hold his head high, with a respectable performance that netted him 1.41% of the vote.

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Matt Cameron

Matt Cameron

Proving himself the comeback kid with Soundgarden's latest fantastic album after a 17 year hiatus, Matt Cameron has performed well in the Drummer's World Cup too.

With Soundgarden, Matt Cameron redefined the parameters of grunge when his band exploded outta Seattle in the genre's heyday. Now also to be found playing with fellow grunge survivors Pearl Jam.

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Dom Howard

Dom Howard

Dom Howard provides the musical beats that propel indie rock power trio Muse's expansive and ambitious sound.

Despite a recent run of good form that includes Muse's excellent new album The Second Law, the votes were found wanting for Dom when it came to the Drummer's World Cup. He's unlikely to have gained enough votes overall to progress to the last 16.

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Danny Carey

Danny Carey

A master of polyrhythm and tribal beats, Danny Carey's contribution to the music of Tool has made him a firm favourite of all rock drumming connoisseurs.

Danny's made it onto the cover of next month's Rhythm (February 2013), but may not have done enough to ensure his passage to the final 16 of the competition. Still, a respectable performance in the voting bagged him more than 5% of the votes.

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Travis Barker

Travis Barker

That Blink-182's genius drummer only came in fourth is something of an upset. With just under 7% of the votes, fans of his hip-hop and punk beats will surely see it as a Travis-ty, in fact.

And Travis is not the only high-profile drummer in the group to have performed disappointingly in the voting. Travis fans, hang your heads in shame if you didn't vote...

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl

This one's a shock. One of the most popular drummers in modern rock thanks to his massive drum sound on Nirvana's Nevermind, plus impressive turns behind the kit for Queens Of The Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures, Dave may be forced to watch from the sidelines for the rest of the tournament.

Only 8.32% of the votes means Dave trails in third in this group, which has yielded the most surprising results yet.

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Dan Flint

Dan Flint

Popular punk-popsters You Me At Six have had a meteoric rise over the last couple of years, and it's in no small part due to the playing of drummer Dan Flint.

The band's popularity has ensured that Mr Flint has edged out some of modern rock's most lauded players such as Travis Barker, Dave Grohl, Larry Mullen Jr and more to go through to the last 16. Well done, Dan!

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Michael Miley

Michael Miley

Michael Miley, of groove rockers Rival Sons, has been dubbed in some quarters as 'the new Bonham', and clearly a number of you would agree.

Polling a comprehensive 49% of the votes in the Modern Rock/Indie/Punk group puts Michael in the driving seat, topping the group and progressing easily to the last 16.

Will he come up against the old Bonham?

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
CATEGORIES
Drums
Chris Burke
Read more
Drum kit with a red overlay and blue text saying 'best Christmas gifts for drummers'
Best Christmas gifts for drummers 2025: my pick of affordable festive gifts they'll actually use
 
 
Josh Freese
“People said, ‘Hey, I saw you’re on that Avril Lavigne record.’ I went, ‘Nah!'”: The drummer who’s played on 400 albums
 
 
Blue Carpet held at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 06, 2025 in Queens
The one where Courteney Cox plays Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit on the drums and goes viral
 
 
DarWin
“Most pop music is rubbish now”: Legendary drummer Simon Phillips on producing supergroup DarWin
 
 
Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones accept the award for Album Of The Year: Public Vote for their album 'Blue & Lonesome'
“He tried it when he came in and he said ‘I can’t do it as good as you, Ronnie. You get back on the drums.’”: When Charlie Watts ceded the drums to Ronnie Wood on a Stones track
 
 
Bill Ward of Black Sabbath, inductee, and Lars Ulrich of Metallica
"I just love Metallica. I love Lars' drumming": naysayers, listen up - Bill Ward explains why Lars Ulrich is a brilliant drummer
 
 
Latest in Drummers
Josh Freese
“It was all done on GarageBand – it’s live drums, but over this goofy funk drum loop I’d done on my laptop out on tour”
 
 
Josh Freese
“People said, ‘Hey, I saw you’re on that Avril Lavigne record.’ I went, ‘Nah!'”: The drummer who’s played on 400 albums
 
 
Beck, Bogart & Appice
“Tim wasn’t feeling good, and then Jeff said something derogatory, and Tim just punched him in the face!”
 
 
Simon Phillips
“I got a hacksaw, chopped down the stand and put the hi-hats down there”: How Simon Phillips learned to play left-handed
 
 
Johnny Marr, English singer Morrissey, English drummer Mike Joyce and English bassist Andy Rourke of The Smiths pose for a portrait before their first show in Detroit during the 1985
“You’d go round the house and Johnny would play some riff in his jimmy-jams”: Mike Joyce remembers the early days of The Smiths
 
 
Floyd in 1987
“I said, ‘Oh, man, we’re gonna kick some ass on a Pink Floyd record!’": The drummer who substituted for Nick Mason
 
 
Latest in News
Howie Weinberg
Mastering engineers reflect on the loudness wars, and ponder whether they really are over
 
 
A laptop in a music studio with Universal Audio plugins running on it
UAD's free plugin offer is the biggest no-brainer I've seen this year – but time is running out to get your hands on a world-class studio weapon for nothing
 
 
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: Score big savings on music gear ahead of Christmas from the likes of UAD, Casio, Waves, PRS and more
 
 
GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND - JUNE 28: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Danielle Haim of Haim performs on the Park stage during day four of Glastonbury festival 2025 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 28, 2025 in Glastonbury, England. Established by Michael Eavis in 1970, Glastonbury has grown into the UK's largest music festival, drawing over 200,000 fans to enjoy performances across more than 100 stages. In 2026, the festival will take a fallow year, a planned pause to allow the Worthy Farm site time to rest and recover. (Photo by Jim Dyson/Redferns)
Danielle Haim names her biggest guitar influences, including the player she calls “the most underrated”
 
 
ABBA VOYAGE
Money Money Money: Abba Voyage has contributed over £2 billion to the British economy
 
 
Ed Sheeran in front of guitars
Council gives go-ahead for Ed Sheeran to convert pig farm into private recording studio
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...