Luke Taylor

Luke Taylor (born 9 April 1999 in Bury, Manchester) is an English musician who is the drummer or percussionist in several different groups, including Besses Boys Band, the Hallé Youth Orchestra and Bury Youth Concert Band.

His first band being Harmonic Hound, a small pub band, from the age of 14, Luke enjoyed a variety of gigs including one at Band on The Wall, Manchester, before the band broke up. He has been with the Bury Music Service since 2007 and has worked his way up from the lowest of bands to Principal Percussionist in the Youth Concert Band.

Biography
Taylor first wanted to learn the drums at a young age after watching Nicko McBrain performing with Iron Maiden on his father's DVDs of the band. At the age of 8, he started to have lessons with Bury Music Service. Taylor recalls that he was eleven or twelve before his father bought him his first drum kit. He soon started playing ACDC, Trivium, My Chemical Romance covers with school bands, before he began regularly playing "a mismatch of gigs" by the age of 14.

Although he is currently studying Computer Science for GCSE, upon finishing his education Taylor would like to pursue a musical career and "forget about the bloody computers". Harmonic Hound, a small pub band, which he enjoyed performing with as they performed Muse, Tom Petty and U2 covers, however they soon broke up.

In 2007, he began playing with Bury Music Service's Training Brass before moving up to Intermediate Concert Band, Bury Youth Orchestra and then the top concert band, Bury Youth Concert Band, whom he played in the Music For Youth Festival and competing at the final stage in Birmingham Symphony Hall. Whilst performing with Training Concert Band, Taylor was approached by Paul Garett of Besses Boys Band to join them, due to them lacking a drummer. He formed a close partnership with fellow percussionist Harvey Rogerson and made history with Besses, winning a contest in the Fleetwood Marine Hall in 2013, which was both the band's first contest in 2nd section and Taylor's first contest with the band. Taylor then successfully auditioned for the Hallé Youth Orchestra on the 15th October 2013.

Drumming style
Taylor's drumming has been an important element of the Besses sound from 2013 onwards, always having the chops and the technique, but in Besses he really exploded, to the point where a lot of stuff they did after he joined was then founded on his playing, all those busy patterns he does, displaying tremendous technique.

Taylor often employs the back end of his left hand drum stick to allow for more powerful "snare hits". He is known for not using a double bass pedal. He claims to have never used a double pedal, preferring to use a DW 5000 Accelerator single pedal.

Equipment
Taylor currently uses Premier drums and Paiste cymbals. He uses Vic Firth drum sticks.

Acheivements

 * Besses Boys Band
 * 2nd Place in the Solo Contest (2013)
 * Fleetwood Contest 2013 2nd Section Winners (2013)


 * Bury Youth Concert Band
 * Finalists in the Music For Youth Festival (2012)