My Z News

In most bands, the drummer gets the short end of the stick (no pun intended!) when it comes to recognition. While certain percussionists do rise to fame, for every Dave Grohl, Neil Peart, Tony Williams, or Ringo Starr, there are about 400 million talented drummers languishing in obscurity. Keeping time for a band isn’t necessarily the coolest gig in the world from the public’s eyes, no matter how awesome those riffs are.

But what happens when the entire band is drummers? Well, that’s a different story. The drummers comprising the Top Secret Drum Corps are some of the best that Basel, Switzerland has to offer. And Basel, Switzerland has a lot of drummers to offer. While 400 million might have been a slight exaggeration, what isn’t an exaggeration is that Basel, Switzerland is home to thousands of active drummers. It’s a fundamental part of the culture and tradition of the city. Their equivalent of Mardi Gras features hundreds of drummers and fifers, marching down the street in creepy masks, with beautiful, painted lanterns on their heads. Drumming is a big deal there.

Top Secret Drum Corps takes it to a different level, however. They were one of the first non-military martial drumming corps to be invited to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo festival and have been showstopping mainstays ever since. Bringing a sense of theatrics and light-hearted drama to the genre, these intensely practiced musicians are a sight to behold, even without the fire and explosions they incorporate into their performances.

H/T: The Basel Tattoo

Read more: http://www.wimp.com/top-secret-drum-corps-edinburgh/