Fills Monkey: We Will Drum You

You will not be disappointed with this drumming show that goes beyond rhythm and music to create a hilarious, creative explosion that will entertain everyone. 

Fills Monkey: We Will Drum You

Firstly, of course, I have to talk about drumming. It was mind-boggling to see performers Yann Coste and Sébastien Rambaud play like crazy, straight off the bat. No warm up – for the drummers or the audience. They went straight into drumming at a ridiculous pace, so fast that my brain couldn’t keep up with what my eyes were seeing. It was impressive to say the least, but they certainly didn’t stop there.  

I know close to nothing about drumming, but I still enjoyed every second of their recreations of recognisable drum solos and beats, paying homage to their own favourite artists. Their tricks and personal style are great, but I loved how the actual music fused musical styles from all around the world and all sorts of genres. And as the show contained no spoken words, it was made incredibly accessible to people from all cultures, speaking all languages to every age group. 

But don’t be fooled into thinking that this is just a drumming performance, because it has some great elements of show. Silly and sweet at the same time, Coaste and Rambaud engage in what can only be called a battle of the drums, trying to one up one another by creating rhythms to make the audience more and more excited.  

The entire show was interactive, as the audience was invited to make their own bodies become another one of the percussive instruments used in the show. Everyone in the audience looked like they were having a blast and it was so easy to feel like you were part of the act. And all this without saying a single word, just the power of mime, percussion and the energy of the crowd. 

Credit must be given to Coste and Ramboud, because this show was extremely physical with a large amount of movement and dancing. The choreography was another plus – the whole show looked on point; well rehearsed blunders and increasingly ridiculous props were thrown all over the stage with precision. I was also really impressed by the phenomenal lighting design. Through the whole show, the lighting created such a great atmosphere, adding to the drama and humour of the show with flashing colours at intense moments and a single spotlight for the quieter ones. 

The sweetest moment of the show was a rendition of happy birthday sung at the end by the audience, concluding one of the shows I’ve enjoyed the most so far at Fringe, even though I never expected to. I would highly recommend taking your friends, young and old to this extraordinary celebration of drumming. 


Read our interview with Fills Monkey here

For tickets and more information, visit edfringe.com 

Header Image Credit: Denis Rouvre

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