The Drums, The Drums

SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE meets a man who is literally drumming up support for an exciting new pastime

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FIRST it was a single, resonant pulse, rolling across the valley floor to the distant hills. The pulse returned, bouncing back, meeting later pulses on their outward journey. Huge globules of sound, growing and combining until the land within the hills was a throbbing arena of drum beats. It was visceral. Incredibly physical. Magnetic. Utterly captivating. Along with many others, I was drawn towards the sound.

Taiko drumming is not something generally associated with a country fair in the Exe Valley but during the last 20 years Devon has become one of the main European centres for a time-honoured skill that has its roots in Japan. It’s all thanks to the inspiration of Jonathan Kirby, a man with vision.

Back in 1995, Jonathan’s work with a global IT company took him to California.