Kasabian’s Ian Matthews visits BIMM Bristol
There’s no doubting Kasabian’s credentials as one of the biggest guitar bands in the world.
A headline appearance at Glastonbury Festival, four UK number one albums, countless awards and numerous stadium tours are among the group’s impressive list of achievements.
One man who has played a key part in the band’s incredible story is their drummer Ian Matthews and – ahead of the group’s massive homecoming show at Leicester City FC’s King Power Stadium – we welcomed Ian to BIMM Bristol for a highly anticipated Masterclass, hosted by Rhythm Magazine’s Tom Bradley.
Ian spoke at length about his formative years in music after first picking up a pair of drumsticks at the tender age of two. The Bristol-born drummer also discussed the importance of being stylistically versatile. In fact, it was this ability to adapt to various music genres that landed him a place in Kasabian.
Ian met Kasabian’s Sergio Pizzorno and Tom Meighan at Bristol’s Bink Bonk Studios, where the band were producing their debut LP. He explained how he was invited to drum on two of their songs ‘Processed Beats’ and ‘Butcher Blues’ – tracks which later became hits. He subsequently joined the band in 2004, and the rest is history!
Despite being a long-serving member of one of the UK’s greatest rock bands, Ian remains faithful to his roots. He still plays in local funk and jazz clubs around Bristol whenever he can.
Ian spoke of the importance of networking, as opportunities can arise from anywhere. As he put it, you never know when you might be called up to drum on the Fast and Furious 6 soundtrack.
Following the talk, Ian invited one very lucky BIMM student, Josh Wagstaff, up on stage for an impressive drum duet. The performance blew everyone away and gave Josh the perfect opportunity to show off his skills.
The session ended with a brilliant Q&A round, with Ian answering questions from students about all manner of topics, including drumming technique and gaining label recognition as a new band.
The Masterclass was a great success. Ian is a rock legend but remains humble and committed to inspiring a new generation of aspiring musicians.
As a visiting faculty tutor at BIMM Ian lends his teaching talents to our BIMM colleges, including London, Brighton, Manchester, Berlin and Dublin – when he’s not playing with Kasabian, of course!
Ian’s contribution to BIMM is invaluable. Having visiting faculty lecturers and seasoned experts visiting our colleges has bridged the gap between music education and the music industry itself.
Ian gave us his thoughts on the Masterclass and how he felt about returning to Bristol.
“It was great to be back at BIMM Bristol. I enjoyed talking with Tom about my career and background and taking some really interesting questions from the students. It was great fun double drumming, laying down some beats and jamming out with one of the students. Hope to see you all again soon!”
We also checked in with his talented drumming partner Josh, a Drums student at BIMM.
“It was awesome to play with someone who has got to a place in their career which I’m striving and aiming for,” he revealed. “I’ve never jammed with a drummer on another kit before so it was great to experience what playing in a drum duo was like, but then at the same time, to play with Ian, a musician of such a high level!”
Huge thanks to Ian for taking the time out to sit down with our BIMM Bristol students.
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