Glasgow Police first to harness British Drum Co. gear

The Grade 1 Glasgow Police has become the first band to agree to play new instruments manufactured by the British Drum Co. of Manchester, England.

Introduced last summer, British Drum Co.’s “Axial” products have been created with the oversight of 16-time World Solo Pipe Band Drumming Champion Jim Kilpatrick. It’s perhaps no coincidence that the lead-drummer of the Glasgow Police is long-time Kilpatrick corps drummer David Henderson.

It’s the most recent major move for the Glasgow Police, which in September appointed Alisdair McLaren as its new pipe-major, taking over from Iain MacPherson.

“I am excited for the Glasgow Police Pipe Band to become the first pipe band drum corps endorsed by the British Drum Co.,” Henderson said in statement. “I have complete faith that these drums will serve us well and I can’t wait to get them out on the competition field.”

British Drum Co. instruments join a market owned by only three manufacturers: Andante of Northern Ireland; Pearl Percussion of Nashville, Tennessee; and Premier Percussion of Leicester, England.

“Having the Glasgow Police drum corps playing our new Axial range of drums is really exciting,” Kilpatrick said. “This is a great corps and a few of them played in my own corps for many years. I can’t wait to hear the great sound that David Henderson and the rest of his corps will produce.”

With the move, the band enters the highly charged world of drum judging politics in the UK. Many drumming judges are perceived to have a particular preference for one drum brand or another, with perceived biases often seen to be related to personal histories.

Henderson became L-D of the Glasgow Police in 2016 after succeeding Eric Ward, who had held the role for 23 years and left under acrimonious circumstances. Under Henderson, the band’s corps has steadily regained a toehold at the major championships, generally finishing in the middle of Grade 1 contestants.

Terms of the Glasgow Police sponsorship deal with British Drum Co. were not revealed at publication time.

The move comes a week before the World Solo Drumming Championships in Glasgow, where Henderson and Steven Shedden, L-D of the Grade 2 Hawthorn Pipe Band of Australia, are expected to compete playing Axial snare drums. Shedden is a representative of the British Drum Co.

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