The Young Drums
The Conception of the Young Drums 1990
The very first Young Drums show in September 1990. The occasion being Youth Arts Week and the venue, Heritage Park in Lismore NSW.
1991
Our second only ever performance. In 1991 at Spinks Park in Lismore NSW
1992
The Birth of “The Young Drums” our first real show as a rehearsed percussion orchestra.
Opening Event Poster
At Darling Harbour
The Truck and Crane set
Acrobatic drumming at the Brisbane Biennial Festival
The Floating Castle Set
A view inside the Castle wall
The following year the Young Drums were the opening performance act of the welcoming ceremony of the 1994 World Masters Games at QE11 Stadium in Brisbane. This ceremony attracted an audience of 80,000 and was televised via satellite to some 75 participating countries.
At QE11 Stadium
Elliot gives it heaps
The World Masters Games Welcoming Ceremony
1995 saw the Young Drums as part of an all star line up, doing free concerts for the children of Camp Quality, as well as a seven city east coast tour for the Network TEN’S Special Children’s Christmas parties, and recording & releasing their debut CD, ‘Anything Goes’.
Later in the year we took seven of our junior members down to Sydney where they performed on channel 9 Networks “Hey Hey it’s Saturday” show where they were received with enthusiasim for the audience and respect from the Musicians in the the band. Darryn Farrugia in particular was most taken, giving us big hugs and dancing us around saying, “I couldn’t believe my ears when those young kids hit the 11/8 part and when they started laying polyrhythms on to the 11/8 I nearly fell off my drumstool, absolutely unbelievable”.
Darryl Somers talks to the group after their performance on HEY, HEY, IT’S SATURDAY
Darryn was enthusiastic about their performance!
Darryn Farrugia with Peter and Young Drums members.
At the Melbourne Concert Hall
At the Myer Music Bowl
In 1996 the group performed at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne and the Melbourne Concert Hall as part of the Summerlive Festival and FACP showcase concert, they then toured regional Victoria and NSW, performing in over a dozen country towns. They received standing ovations at every gig.
The Everglades at Leura in the Blue Mountains
Upon their return from that tour the junior section of the Orchestra were the feature act at the “Out of the Box” festival where they played to a hugely responsive crowd at the Brisbane Performing Arts Complex.
Out of the Box Childrens Festival
The Young Drums junior members jam with the Japanese Tiakio group Tamakoza at the Brisbane Performing Arts Complex
Peter Wilkins holds the flag for Young Drums as they represent Australia at the Aberdeen International Youth Festival in Scotland.
In August 1998 the YOUNG DRUMS travel to Scotland to represent Australia at the prestigious Aberdeen International Youth Festival. This was a major coup for the Young Drums. Not only did we attract support from three of the world’s major percussive instrument manufacturing companies, namely, PREMiER Percussion of Great Britain, SABIAN CYMBAL MAKERS of Canada and MEINL Percussion of Germany, but also received major industry credibility here in OZ when Rob Hirst the drummer and songwriter from Midnight Oil after visiting our studios was so taken and impressed with The Young Drums he offered his support to help us out with the Aberdeen Project. Robs involvement with the group still continues and he has since joined in and played a major show with us.
The response to the group in Scotland at this most prestigious festival was phenomenal we broke attendance records at all of the venues at which we headlined, we set precedents that had never before been achieved in the 26 year history of the festival in that we were the only act to ever attract a fan following, we had people who came to every show that we played and our main showcase performance was the only show to ever sell out the Aberdeen Music Hall, and it sold out a week prior to the event!
At His Majestys Theatre in Aberdeen Scotland
The Young Drums enjoyed Scotland and the Scottish audiences enjoyed The Young Drums!
This is what they had to say:-
Rob Hirst (drummer, Midnight Oil):
“The Young Drums – original, exciting, and heaps of fun…watch out Aberdeen!”
Evening Examiner, Scotland
The Young Drums – an electrifying and terrifying mass of sound…..
Aberdeen Press and Journal
A resounding performance from The Young Drums. This Australian group had the audience clapping from the moment the curtain went up at His Majesty’s Theatre……..
Drum Castle in association with the National Trust of Scotland.
The Young Drums are true crowd pleasers who appeal to everyone – from toddlers to grannies and everyone in between…….
Aberdeen Press and Journal
The Young Drums of Australia even ended up with a group of fans following them around to all of their venues…. this group has done so much to break down the barriers for the festival……
Nicola Wallis (Director, Aberdeen International Youth Festival):
“…totally unique…very impressed”
The Sydney Entertainment Center
Later on in 1998 the Young Drums travelled again, this time to Sydney where we were invited to perform at the Sydney Entertainment Center for the NSW Department of Education (Performing Arts Unit) at the Schools Spectacular.
We played to an absolutely incredible response from the audiences at three capacity houses.
Myka and Rowan enjoying the power of our “Boomer”© bass drums
Taking our applause .
Millenium New Year Byron Bay Australia
Conductor Peter Jaggle and guest star Rob Hirst of Midnight Oil
This show was definitely the most exciting and fun show that we’ve ever played. Peter had conducted community workshops over a two month period leading up to New Years Eve and had taught nearly 1000 people (most of whom had never played a note in their lives before) to make a drum and then to play a drum part, which they then played with The Young Drums in an awesome Fanfare into the new millennium. We drummers played to an audience of 50,000 who were there to have a good time and that they certainly did, with many of them coming up to tell us that it was the “best night of my life man!”
Best night of my life man!
Hats must go off to Peter who wrote and arranged all of The Young Drums show and the community drummers parts, taught everyone involved (Except Rob of course), created the music for and led the community drummers in the street parade then conducted the whole percussion and rhythm show on the main stage and “IT WENT ORF”!
We would also like to thank Chris Campbell for the use of his massive 6′-8″ Paistie Tam Tam, the loudest sound that I’ve ever heard in my life!
Sydney Opera House 2000
Jack Ablett gives the Yound Drums Salute.
Kate and Erin practise their Marimaba parts on the forecourt pre showtime.
It was a great experience for all of us to play at The Sydney Opera House it is certainly one of the great venues of the world.We had a ball the Opera House staff and crew were great and the audience were ready to rage and participate. We played three long sets and loved every minute of it and so I believe did the audience judging by the number of supportive letters and emails we received from them!
Stadium Australia Pacific School Games 2000
Sound check at Stadium Oz
Peter with sound engineer James Heddle and Young Drums Board member Maureen Carey
The Young Drums Poster
