Kasabian’s Ian Matthews Heads Masterclass

Number one albums, stadium tours, Glastonbury Festival headliners and a decade-long career: Kasabian are possibly the biggest guitar band in the UK today.

Their dancefloor-driven songs are the soundtrack to many a night out and the band have won over millions of fans, and as their drummer, Ian Matthews plays a crucial role for the chart-topping band.

Ian visited us in BIMM Bristol to hold a hugely popular masterclass, and he talked at length about his experience in Kasabian. Whilst he touched on the band’s wild reputation, he spoke insightfully about the endless hard work that often goes unmentioned, which he credits for their massive success.

He told us how he started drumming aged only four, when a babysitter taught him his first beats. By age seven he helped out his dad’s band at social clubs around Bristol, which led to a job in the Hippodrome theatre orchestra pit.

Ian knew immediately this was the life for him. He explained how he poured all of his concentration into playing and learning as much as possible, across all drumming styles.

The Kasabian star emphasised the power and importance of dedication to your craft, describing how he, “would practice for five hours a day, and then play gigs in the evening.”

His break with Kasabian came in early 2004 when the Leicester band recorded demo tracks for their first album in Bristol’s Bink Bonk Studios. He drummed on ‘Processed Beats’ and ‘Butcher Blues’ — songs that became hits, ending up on their debut LP.

BRIT, NME, MOJO and Q awards have all followed, but Ian has kept his feet on the ground, and was more than willing to share his advice and knowledge with our students.

The year ahead looks exciting for Kasabian: they’re soon heading on a South American Lollapalooza tour, so we were thrilled and grateful that Ian took time to visit BIMM Bristol!