Joe Donegan

Description

U.K. Touring Drummer and Sessions Musician
Music Tutor and former Teaching Assistant
Grade 8 Distinction Qualification - A Level Music - BA Degree in Music Industry Practice (Drums) with First Class Honours
Drummer For: The Family Affair Band, Cloneplay, This Is Queen, Pure Entertainment Group, The Walcott Band and more...
A creative and adaptive player who's main strengths include versatility, adaptability, sight reading and click track ability.
Available for all types of music work including functions. tribute bands, original artists, theatre shows, musicals and party gigs.
Specialis ... ing in Rock, Pop and contemporary music but has the ability to play any genre. Read More

Biography

Born in Winchester and growing up in Hampshire and Dorset, England. Joe first picked up a drum stick at the age of five when his father, who owned a drum kit used to play and record music himself. After seven years of teaching himself, Joe started taking up lessons at the age of twelve and went on to pass his Trinity Grade Eight exam with a distinction five years later in 2017, when he was seventeen years old. He currently resides in Petersfield, U.K. and devotes his time between the U.K. and France. His band and sessions work is predominantly in the U.K. and around Europe. His family residenc ... y is in Lauzun, France. Joe previously worked in France during the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching French and English students how to play the drums. Joe continues to teach his students online and runs his own private drum tuition in the U.K. Joe’s regular sessions and shows are on the tribute band and theatre circuit. He is currently best known as the drummer for Cloneplay, a tribute band to the original British pop group, Coldplay. Joe also drums for The Family Affair Band, a party and functions band who specialise on cruise ship work and party venues across Europe.
Whilst growing up, Joe has worked with some top professional players in the music industry, where he developed his technical skills and technique as he progressed through his teens and into his early 20s. One of these musicians includes John Roberts who is best known as the drummer for The Blockheads and has worked for Mark Knopfler on a number of occasions. 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 completed his Bachelor of Honours Music Performance Degree in 2020, specialising in Drums, at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford. He was delighted to achieve a first class honours result. 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).
As a very creative, diverse and flexible drummer, Joe’s versatility has given him the opportunity to play a wide range of live performances and record with many different artists. The latest being the new single of Tristan Harris – ‘Everything Hurts’ where Joe created the drum patterns himself. Ever since the beginning of 2022 Joe has excelled in numerous U.K. theatres and festivals due to his increasing music schedule and higher demand from artists, production teams and music companies for his services as a drummer. For his versatile style of drumming, Joe cites Neil Peart, Phil Collins, Ralph Rolle, Jeff Porcaro, Taylor Hawkins and Roger Taylor as just a handful of many big influences while he was growing up.
In addition to his work in Cloneplay Joe regularly deputises for This is Queen, another tribute band to the legendary British rock group, Queen. His other sessions currently include regular work with the Pure Entertainment Group, an entertainment company who organise tribute bands, artists and other music concerts all over the U.K. and Europe. Joe is also in demand as a regular deputising drummer for other large tribute bands all across the U.K. and Europe, including bands such as Stereosonics, a tribute band to the original Welsh rock group, Stereophonics. He also currently works with artist Gerard Freeman in his original prog rock project The Book Of Revelations, with live shows planned throughout 2024 and continued rising success on Spotify streams with hit single ‘All Is Avenged’ hitting over 40,000 streams. Joe has previously worked with other solo artists including Paola Vera, Carl Jenkins and Hollie Beadell. This shows his diversity and adaptability within the industry.
Joe also enjoys working in the theatres and playing in musicals. During spring 2022, Joe embarked on a U.K. theatre tour of ‘The Doris Day Story‘, at the time this was his biggest set of shows, which included many noticeable U.K. theatres and an additional two shows in Ireland. This success continued into 2023 where Joe received the call up from Lipstick On Your Collar to become their regular full time drummer, which continued until the end of the year.
Alongside his teaching throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Joe spent his time working on his own materiel as a freelance musician. Frequently releasing covers on YouTube, Instagram and other forms of social media every few days, covering many different bands and artists and their styles and genres, ranging from Queen to The Specials. In addition, he has also been running a collaborations project called The JD Experience. This involves regularly working with other musicians online and bringing them together as a band. The best example of this was ‘Africa’ by Toto where he received critical acclaim for his musical direction and performance.
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 close friend Darren Beckett (Brandon Flowers – The Killers). Read More

Reviews     (5 Reviews)

Experience

The Family Affair Band (2024 -)
The Walcott Band (2024 -)
Pure Entertainment Group (2021 -)
Cloneplay (2022 -)
This Is Queen (2022 -)
The Book Of Revelations (2021 -)
Lipstick On Your Collar (2023)

Suitable for

Anniversary Party Awards Ceremony Baby Shower Bachelor / Stag Party Bachelorette / Hen Party Bar / Bat Mitzvah Birthday Party (Adult) Bridal Shower Casinos Charity / Fundraising Event Christening Christmas Party Club Party Cocktail Party / Drinks Reception Community Event Concerts / Tours Conference / Meeting Corporate Event Cruise Ships Dinner Party Engagement Party Festival / Outdoor Event Graduation Party Grand Opening Party Hanukkah Celebration High School Reunion HM Forces/Army/Navy/Military Event Holiday / Theme Parks Hotel Event New Year's Eve Party Nightclub Event Nursing / Care Home Event Private Party Product Launch / Promotion Prom Night Restaurant / Bar / Pub Event Retirement Party School Event Session Work Social Club Theaters / Stage Trade Show / Exhibitions University / College Event Virtual Event Wedding Ceremony Wedding Cocktail/Drinks Reception Wedding Reception