There’s something about the Europe Drum Show that just feels special… and this year it properly delivered.
Over the weekend of the 11th and 12th of April, I was back in Friedrichshafen, Germany, hosting the main stage for the second installment of The Europe Drum Show. It’s still a relatively new event, but you wouldn’t know it from the atmosphere…busy halls, big names, and that constant buzz of people hitting drums everywhere you turn.
Alongside main stage hosting duties, I put together a vlog to give you a proper look around the show. I deliberately kept it away from the Main stage stuff. As much as that side of things is a huge part of the event (and something I’m obviously heavily involved in), I wanted the video to feel more like you were just walking around with me, seeing what’s actually happening across the floor.
And there was plenty to see.
I spent a good chunk of time chatting to some seriously interesting people. I caught up with El Estepario, who was exactly what you’d expect. A huge personality and very down to earth. I also spoke with Gee Anzalone from DragonForce, Rick Latham, Eric Moore (who, by the way, is totally hilarious), Mike Johnston and Mike Dolbear, which gave a proper mix of perspectives. From education, touring to social media and everything in between.
I also had a really interesting chat with Derek Lee, the creator behind Beat Note. It’s always refreshing speaking to someone working on the development side who are involved with building tools that genuinely help drummers improve and stay organised, rather than just adding more noise.
Outside of the conversations, I gave a full tour of the exhibition hall, and honestly, it’s one of those places where you can lose hours without even trying (and spend a lot of money!). Most major brands you can think of were there…there were kits, cymbals, sticks, electronic gear and percussion. It’s basically Disneyland for drummers.
But one of the standout moments for me didn’t involve a big name at all.
I met a 13-year-old lad called Tino, who’s started his own drumstick company called Chopsticks. It’s a great name and even better slogan: “Made for drumming, not for sushi.” Now look, I’m not saying these were the best sticks in the building… but that’s not why I stopped to talk to him. It was the fact he was there, at that age, putting himself out there and building something from scratch. That’s what stuck with me.
That, more than anything, is what the Europe Drum Show is about. Not just the headline names, but the passion behind it all.
If you haven’t checked out the vlog yet, give it a watch—I’ve tried to capture what it actually feels like to be there, not just what it looks like from a stage.
The Europe Drum Show will return in 2027. Dates TBC
