Biography

Raised in Hampshire, England. Joe picked up a drumstick at the age of five and so began a wonderful partnership. Music was a major part of his family life and influences from the 70’s onwards sparked a love of percussion. After seven years of self-tuition Joe began lessons at the age of twelve resulting in a Grade 8 with a Distinction aged seventeen followed with continued success, completing A Level Music aged eighteen with Grade A results. Further study at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) in Guildford resulted in a graduation in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts – First Class Honours in Music Industry Practise, specialising in Drums and Percussion. Feedback from the practical aspect of the degree included high levels of praise for his Genesis medley, which you can find in the video section. Whilst at university, Joe studied under some top professional industry players including Darren Beckett (Brandon Flowers – The Killers), Toby Drummond (Cliff Richard, Ray Davies) and Windsor McGilvrey (Hugh Cornwall). For his versatile style of drumming, Joe cites Neil Peart, Phil Collins, Stewart Copeland, Jeff Porcaro, Taylor Hawkins and Roger Taylor as just a handful of many big influences.

In the past five years Joe has worked with some top professional players in the music industry which has further developed his technical skills and technique. He is a close friend of Ralph Rolle (Nile Rodgers & Chic) and John Roberts (The Blockheads/Mark Knopfler). John has described Joe as:

“Always totally dependable, because of his amazing time keeping, groove, chops and feel.” For more information on Joe’s testimonials, please visit the testimonial page.

Joe is based in Portsmouth, England and spends his time between the U.K. and his family residency in France when his music schedule allows. His band and sessions work is predominantly in the U.K. and around Europe. During the COVID-19 pandemic Joe worked in France providing French and English students private drum tuition. He is fluent in both English and French and continues to teach privately in the U.K. as well as tutoring with AL’S Drum School where he is a regular tutor and lecturer.

Joe’s regular sessions work and shows are predominately on the tribute band and theatre circuit. He is currently best known as the drummer for Like Combs U.K. In addition, Joe is currently a regular live drummer for many shows such as Logical Tramp, Sky Full of Stars, Fleetwood Shack, This Is Queen, Sound With Us and many others. His ability to sight read and his vast repertoire of style and track knowledge have become well respected and as a result he is often called upon at the last minute to deputise at events. Joe’s other sessions currently include regular work with the Pure Entertainment Group, an agency who manage tribute bands, artists and other music concerts all over the U.K. and Europe. Joe’s largest show to date was the Undercover Festival in Poland (pictured in the third photo) where he performed to a field of over 10,000 people with Maroon Live.

As a very creative, diverse and flexible drummer, Joe’s versatility has given him the opportunity to play a wide range of live performances for original artists. His most recent studio session was for the prog rock band The Book Of Revelations where they have recently released a new album Olympus Mons. Joe also joins the band with their live performances and is regularly involved with their media work and promotional material. The band has live shows planned throughout 2026 and continued rising success on Spotify streams with the hit single ‘All Is Avenged’ hitting over 40,000 streams. Joe has previously worked with other original artists including Colin Elseorth and Paola Vera.

Since the beginning of his musical career Joe has excelled in numerous U.K. theatres and festivals due to higher demand from artists, production teams and music companies. He has recently been touring theatres across England with Sky Full of Stars – a tribute to Coldplay. Joe’s previous theatre work has included the likes of Lipstick On Your Collar (2023) and The Doris Day Story (2022). In both shows, Joe extensively toured theatres across the U.K. and Ireland. before he pursued work on other projects, including cruise ships and other tribute bands.

Alongside his teaching, Joe spends his time working on his own materiel as a freelance musician. Frequently releasing covers on YouTube, Instagram and other forms of social media, covering many different bands and artists and their styles and genres. In addition, he has also organised multiple online collaborations as a Musical Director. Some of his projects have also included working alongside some industry famous names, such as Paul Booth (Steve Winwood, Elton John, Eagles) and his former lecturer and good friend Darren Beckett (Brandon Flowers – The Killers). Visit all of Joe’s videos here.

Most recently Joe was proud to have been invited to act as Musical Director (and drummer) for the band The Jazz Pops in Bournemouth at their New Year’s Eve party. Joe hand picked his band members from musicians with whom he had previously collaborated and was responsible for putting together the set list and charts as well as organising the sound and lighting. The night was a resounding success with Joe calling it “one of the best moments of my musical career so far”. He is looking forward to many more events where he can not only perform but also lead his team. Joe is going into 2026 with a huge number of events already in the diary – please check the schedule page for available tickets.