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Posted by Claudette Cooling on 29th May 2018
With the semi finals of Britain’s Got Talent well underway, we took the time to catch up with BGT alum, Kieran Gaffney. Kieran made his debut on the popular itv show way back in 2009, after appearing on the show the first time, Kieran was eliminated shortly before the live shows. Determined as ever, Kieran returned in 2010 with his parents and went on to place third in the prestigious variety show.
It’s been a long time since Kieran’s initial Britain’s Got Talent appearance and we are pleased to say Kieran is still as much in love with his drums as he was back then and boy has he come far since! Since the show, Kieran has been busy furthering his drumming career and has toured several times with Britain's Got Talent winners, Diversity as well as many other notable gigs! We love bringing you guys as much behind the scenes info and news as we can, so let's get started and learn a little bit more about this up and coming drummer!
When did you start playing drums? What got you into playing?
I started drumming when I was 11/12 years old, I remember on the way to school my dad had Level 42 playing and all I could think was "Wow! Who is that drummer?!" My dad said, "that's Gary Husband, what a drummer!" Since then I just loved drumming; the sound just inspired me to play more and more and from then on I just couldn't stop!
We went on a family holiday to Tenerife and we went to a rock bar where a band was playing that were really good, on their break I asked if I could play a song. To my surpise they said "sure what song would you like to play?" I replied "Mustang Sally" because that was my favourite at the time, still love it now. So when I was about to go up and play, they called my name and my dad said no he can't play, but they gave me a chance anyway. I played the song and my dad was in tears, I couldn't believe how I managed to keep a beat solidly without ever playing the drums before. As soon as we returned home my dad bought me an electric drum kit and soon after that I purchased my first acoustic drum kit and the rest was history.
How often do you practice?
I practice as much as I can. I try and practice everyday, practicing new fills and chops. It's all about the chops for me, I love gospel music, like James Fortune, he is out of this world and his band are on point with their playing and performance.
What made you try out for Britain's Got Talent?
So I first went on Britain's Got Talent in 2009, I wanted to make a go of my career and thought why not give it a go. I went for it and passed all the first stages of BGT and got to the stage where I performed in front of the judges and received three yes' after performing WIPEOUT. On this occasion I only got to the reveal day and went no further. I then returned in 2010 with my parents as we thought, why not go on as a family and give it a go. Unfortunately it didn't go to plan and the judges only wanted me to progress further as a solo drummer. My parents supported me through this and I got through the reveal day, won the semi final vote and overall came in third place in the final. I honestly couldn't ask for any more being a drummer.
How has your Britain's Got Talent experience impacted your drumming career?
BGT helped me out a lot, I've played at loads of festivals, Butlins Corporate Events and much more. Being a drummer work can go dry sometimes, after a dry spell my career picked up again in 2013. In 2013, I received a message from dancer and choreographer to Diversity, Ashley Banjo. Ashley asked if I would consider playing alongside Diversity on their UK arena tour, Limitless (2013). Of course I said yes and ever since then I have been drumming with them, doing festivals, corporate events and 3 other UK tours.
Do you have any favourite artists/bands at the moment?
Some of my favourite artists would have to be James Brown, Michael Jackson, Coldplay, James Fortune and Bruno mars, but I could go on all day! For me my favourite drummer at the minute would be Tony Royster Jr. Tony's skill to drumming is outstanding, he can chop like no other chopper, he's a very tight musician and has a lot of motivation towards his playing which makes him how he is today. Another favourite would be Aaron Spears, he is insane and a classic favourite is Buddy Rich.
What’s your top tip for all the aspiring drummers out there?
Be you, be yourself and stay humbled to anyone you meet. Keep practicing and stay motivated. There will always be someone out there better than you, but remember all the people you meet on the way up, you will always meet on the way down.
We’re beyond grateful that Kieran took the time to answer some of our questions and we hope this gives all you drummers out there a real behind the scenes insight into the life of a working drummer. Take a look below for more info about drumming Kieran's set-up!
Can you talk us through your drum set-up, what does it include?
So my current drum set up is a 14" snare, 12" high tom, 16" floor tom. All my cymbals are Sabian and my cymbals include, hi hats, 16" crash to my left, 22" ride between high tom and floor tom, to my right I have a 14" crash, and next to that I have a 16" china. My drum kit is by Sonor and I must say it's a great sounding kit and it was my very first.
We love not only learning about some of the amazing drummers within the drumming community but we love nothing more than to shout about them and support them! So if you’ve liked what you’ve read, we’re pretty sure you should get yourself over to Kieran's socials and check him out, you can find Kieran on the following platforms:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
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