SadMusic
(Southend on Sea)
Friday 11 Sep 2026, 12:42pm
THE BAND
We’re the core of a previously established Essex band, starting something new and looking for a drummer to complete the line-up.
Vocals, guitar, bass and keys are already in place. We’ve played together for years, have a stack of older songs ready to be pulled apart and rebuilt, and we’re already writing new material.
We’re based around Westcliff / Leigh / Benfleet and rehearse at Mushroom Studios, usually on Friday evenings. We aim for once a week, but we all have jobs, families, and actual lives, and we assume you do too.
The plan is simple: make a really good album and play a few worthwhile gigs each year. Mostly Essex and London, with the occasional trip further afield if there’s a good enough reason. We’re not trying to spend every weekend dragging ourselves around the country in a van.
THE MUSIC
Sad, late-night indie.
Songs for people who still think lyrics matter and don’t need everything quantised within an inch of its life.
We like:
Stephen Fretwell
Ryan Adams, before the capitulation
The Decemberists
The Smiths
The Verve
The National
Craig Finn
Mac DeMarco
Melancholy, guitars, good words, occasional optimism quickly stamped out.
That’s the neighbourhood, not a shopping list of bands we’re trying to impersonate.
THE DRUMMER
Above everything else: serve the song.
By playing, we mean: listen to the first two Stephen Fretwell albums and Ethan Johns’ drumming on Ryan Adams’ Gold.
Loose. Understated. Natural. Slightly behind the beat.
Good dynamics. Restrained cymbals. Simple fills. Plenty of space.
We want someone who can be quiet and solid, creative without overplaying, contribute ideas when they have them and be perfectly happy locking into something simple when that’s all the song needs.
Someone who understands that doing less is often the harder thing.
Feel matters more than chops.
We’re looking for another band member, not someone waiting for instructions behind a drum kit. Have opinions. Have ideas. Know when neither needs expressing.
Previous gigging or recording experience helps, but musical fit matters more than an impressive CV.
We’re all 40+, so someone at roughly the same stage of life will probably make sense. Own transport is essential, and you’ll need to get yourself and your gear around Essex and London, with the odd trip further afield.
No sh*t haircuts.
A relationship with Adidas would be viewed favourably.
CONTACT
If this sounds like your sort of thing, email i.play.the.drums.good@gmail.com with:
Your three favourite songs at the moment andA link to any examples of your playing online.
We’ll send a possibly over-detailed questionnaire.
Think High Fidelity: better to discover the deal-breakers on paper than halfway through a rehearsal. If Limp Bizkit are a serious influence, we can all make other plans.