The Drum Waiters have performed for: BT, Microsoft MSN, Adidas, Aston Villa FC, Rolls Royce, Nexans, RWE nPower, Accor Hotel Group, Canon, Carlsberg, Volkswagen, AET Tankers, Swatch, Grosvenor House Event Services, Heineken, Nationwide, National Australia Bank, EE, Pfizer, QPR FC, Molnlycke, Metrorail, CABI, Arts & Business Cymru, Cambridgeshire Advisory Service, Rosenblatt Solicitors, Rating Surveyors Association, Go Skills, British Par 3 Championship, Home Start, Ince & Co and many private parties and events.
“Thanks very much to you and the guys, you did a great job, it was really good fun and I was amazed at how energetic the performance was – everybody loved it!”
Claire Peakman, Aston Villa Players’ Awards Ceremony Organiser
“It was a pleasure to work with you guys and I will let you know dates for the next event as soon as I have them!”
Aileen Markey, HR Manager, MSN EMEA & International Sales
“We have had nothing but positive feed back from Friday evening! A huge thank you to you and your team for putting on a fun and memorable evening! Everyone left the evening in a vibrant mood and we loved it! We will need something similar for a future event!”
Lesley Cannings, Ince & Co. International Law Firm
“You and the boys did a fantastic job, pitched perfectly for the audience, and not in the easiest of venues. The number of mentions you’ve had in the last 24 hours has been countless and I will carry a number of the images of smiling faces around the room with me for some while. Thank you, and I’m sure we will work together again.”
Jonathan Crookall, Specsavers
“Your drum waiters went down a storm – superb! Really helped to finish our conference dinner off with a bang – literally. Many thanks for accommodating us at short notice.”
Nigel Battey, Senior Adviser, Cambridgeshire Advisory Service
“I am so grateful to you for fitting into the evening so easily, I know that there were lots of ‘I don’t knows’ before the event, and thank you for being so flexible. The clients really enjoyed your show as did we and I do hope that there will be a chance to get you all back here in the near future.”
Helen MacInnes, Production Assistant, Grosvenor House
“On behalf of our directors and staff I’d like to thank you and your team for making our party such a success. I’ve had lots of excellent feedback; the boomwhackers went down particularly well.”
Paula Waterman, Saffery Champness
“Thanks again for an amazing experience at our conference. Our team absolutely loved the drumming this afternoon as well as the drum waiters last night. The feedback we have had is excellent.”
Carole Edmond, Managing Director, Bright Horizons Family Solutions
“Just a quick note to say thank you for an excellent event last night for the CABI group. They thoroughly enjoyed the evening and there has been some great positive feedback since. Hopefully we will work again soon on another event!”
Juliet Rowe, CABI Gala Dinner organiser
“It’s a lot of fun!”
Rick Cressman, owner of Nailcote Hall, British Par 3 Championship
“Many, many thanks for Saturday. It was fantastic, really energetic and upbeat and just what we wanted!”
Penny G, private party organiser
CASE STUDIES
BT Awards Ceremony, Gladstone Library, Whitehall
This was the first Drum Waiters performance, the show put together originally as a one off for a bespoke brief to liven up 150 guests after the meal and energise them ready for the awards. Although we were understandably a little nervous at this first performance, the guests responded immediately, laughing and joining in the Car Wash clap which we used as the opening rhythm. By the time the drums came out people were tapping on the tables and cheering us on, and the standing ovation at the end made us realise we’d have to do it again…!
Aston Villa Players Awards Ceremony, Villa Park
With Gareth Barry, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Nigel Reo-Coker, and Sylvain Petrov sitting at the front table (the latter renowned among his team mates for his drumming skills), not to mention Martin O’Neill overseeing his players, this was an exciting event for us to be performing at. The brief stated they wanted the 500 guests to be involved but not with instruments. We started the show with the familiar rhythm that is clapped by football fans around the world, and once they’d got over the surprise of waiters banging on teapots and frying pans the guests soon picked up on the “Villa” chant to accompany it. In the middle of the performance the guests were encouraged to accompany the drums with some specific rhythms that they had to clap and shout, which they did with gusto. As the rhythm got faster and faster the atmosphere became more exciting and the performance ended with a huge cheer.
“Thanks very much to you and the guys, you did a great job, it was really good fun and I was amazed at how energetic the performance was. Everybody loved it!” Claire Peakman, Aston Villa Players’ Awards Ceremony Organis
British Par 3 Pro – Celebrity Championship Dinner, Nailcote Hall, Warwickshire
Another dinner with familiar sporting faces amongst the audience – not surprising as this was booked after the success of the Aston Villa show – including Peter Schmeichel, Tony Jacklin, Willie Thorne and Lee Sharpe, full audience participation with boomwhackers was required for this one. The Drum Waiters quickly distributed these to the dining tables after their performance, and the guests joined in enthusiastically, creating a wonderful sounding orchestra and ending with an energetic Kodo style rhythm with boomwhackers held aloft in the air.
“I won’t need to go to the gym for a while after that – great fun!” Tony Jacklin
“It’s a lot of fun!” Rick Cressman, owner of Nailcote Hall, British Par 3 Championship
Carlsberg Conference, Opera House, St Petersberg
Just two drummers for this one, the brief was to energise 300 delegates from around Europe at the end of an afternoon’s conference in Russia. We suggested creating a bespoke Carlsberg drum kit using a large water butt branded to look like a can, a snare drum and tom toms covered in beer mats, and a frame covered in cans from the various Carlsberg brands. After a 5 minute performance that included liquid flying off the water butts and a samba played on the cans and snare drum the 5 key conference speakers joined the drummers on stage to play drums whilst the delegates were encouraged to rise to their feet and create some body percussion rhythms by stamping, beating their legs and clapping their hands. As the conference was multi lingual this was all demonstrated without speech and the delegates were encouraged to copy. The sound in the Opera house with it’s beautiful acoustics was quite stunning, and the delegates left the room vibrant and united.
Canon Conference, Hilton Metropole, Birmingham
For Canon UK’s annual conference for 1,200 guests the organisers wanted the delegates to be energised at key times during the day by drum performances and boomwhackers. Every guest found a boomwhacker on their seat as they entered the conference. Then at each appointed time the drummers burst on stage beating a fast and furious rhythm, and then engaged all the delegates with a variety of rhythmic activities.
“What a fantastic sound…” Fiona Bruce, Conference host
“The boomwhackers were certainly a hit!” Jason Sullivan, Canon UK
MSN EMEA Conference, Sofitel Hotel, London
For this one the brief was to do a short performance at the end of the morning coffee break, to lead the delegates back into the conference room and then engage them in four energisers during the course of the day. The first energiser involved body percussion, the second drums, the third boomwhackers (coloured musical tubes) and the fourth some Middle Eastern singing and belly dance. No, really…!!! This event was a combination of the Drum Waiters and Mark Walker performing his Talking Drums conference energisers activities. For more information go to www.corporatedrumming.co.uk
“Thanks Mark – it was a pleasure to work with you guys and I will let you know dates for the next one as soon as I have them.” Aileen Markey, HR Manager, MSN EMEA & International Sales
The drummers have done several subsequent events for Microsoft, including performing at the launch day of Microsoft Adcenter.
Private 50th Birthday party, Marquee on lawn!
A brief to entertain 100 guests at a private birthday party for a musician, with a number of other musicians present. No pressure there then! Actually, it went down a storm, with all the guests holding their hands aloft in the air to join in the We Will Rock You clap, and more than the usual amount of banging on the table accompaniment.
“Many, many thanks for Saturday. It was fantastic, really energetic and upbeat and just what we wanted!”
Penny G, private party organiser