The best drummers in Melbourne
Work out which of three unrelated jobs you are actually buying before you message anybody. A fill-in player for a band whose own drummer is away, a percussionist adding congas and pads on top of a Melbourne DJ set, or a group of roving drummers walking a crowd from one room to the next. The players below are mixed together in one short list, so read each profile rather than assuming the first name you like does your version of the work.
The list is not long. Send the same description of the gig to several of them on the same afternoon instead of working down it one at a time, and if nothing fits, look at percussionists and at the wider musician categories on this site before you give up on the date.
Top picks in Melbourne
Top picks are the acts in this category in Melbourne, without a review, rating or premium ranking: all these sort keys are tied.
Questions people ask about drummers in Melbourne
How much does it cost to hire a drummer in Melbourne?
The job decides it far more than the hour count does. One player covering a single gig for an existing band is the cheapest version, while a roving drum group is several performers plus costume and rehearsal, and the two sit nowhere near each other. Read the from-prices beside each Melbourne listing on this page, and tell each player exactly which of the three jobs you mean so the reply is a real number.
Can a drummer play over a DJ set?
It is a common Melbourne club and party booking, and it works because a percussionist lifts the chorus without fighting the DJ for the track. Two things have to be sorted before the night: the DJ has to know and be happy, since the pair need to hear each other, and somebody has to decide how the drums get into the sound system. Get both suppliers talking a week out and it is a simple evening.
Will a drummer learn our songs before the gig?
Nearly all of them will, and a professional gives you a straight answer about how much practice it actually takes. Send links to the recordings themselves rather than a list of song titles, because a drummer hears an arrangement in three minutes and cannot guess one from a name. Ask about notice too: a Melbourne player carrying several bands at once needs more warning than an empty Saturday suggests.
How loud is a drum kit in a small Melbourne venue?
Louder than the room usually expects, and there is a floor underneath an acoustic kit that no amount of restraint gets below. Plenty of players own an electronic kit or a quieter setup for exactly this, so describe the space and ask what they would physically bring. That conversation is much easier before the booking than during the first set.
Booking tips
Say whether a kit is arriving or not
A full acoustic kit is a car load, needs real floor space and takes an hour either side. A hand percussion rig appears in ten minutes in a corner. Tell the venue which one is coming, because they will plan the room differently.
Nobody here shows a rating, so use the footage
Not one of these listings carries a review you could rank by. Sit through a whole song instead of a highlights edit, and listen for whether the player sits behind the band and holds it steady or drags everything along after them.
Ask about the tram and the load-in
Inner Melbourne venues in Fitzroy, Brunswick and the city often have no loading zone, clearway restrictions and a flight of stairs. Give the player the street and the access before the quote, because a long carry with a kit is part of what they are pricing.