Currently based in Douglas on the Isle of Man, Mark is a professional South London born drummer, drum tutor, music producer and song arranger with over 45 years experience in the music industry. He has performed live and in the recording studio in a multitude of musical styles throughout Europe, the UK, Scandinavia, Australia and the USA and has worked with highly acclaimed record producers Mike Leander, Vic Maile, Chris Tsangarides, John ‘Speedy’ Keen, Nigel Gray, John Verity and Steve Bush amongst many others.
Recent Years
About Mark Brabbs
He relocated to the Isle of Man from the UK in 2005 and in-between music engagements in the UK, Europe and Australia, he worked extensively with various local Manx artistes including Chicago based singer, songwriter and guitarist Davy Knowles, singer, songwriter and keyboard player Anna Goldsmith, singer, songwriter and musician Mae Challis and Indie bands Truman Falls and The Vows.
Early Years
Mark Brabbs Drumming
He started playing the drums aged 12 and his playing style was influenced by the music he was listening to at the time which was heavy rock, so powerful drummers like Ian Paice, John Bonham, Cozy Powell, Simon Kirke and Brian Downey were all major influences. As his session work increased and he was introduced to a variety of different musical styles so his drumming style and technique diversified.
He was fortunate to be surrounded by some top musician buddies at an early age which certainly helped develop his drumming. His buddies included guitarist Jamie Moses, keyboard player Mel Wesson, guitarist Gerry Shephard and bassist John Springate, bass player Alvin Gibbs, and many others. By the time he was 18 years old he was also the ‘House’ session drummer for record producer and song writer Mike Leander where he began taking a much deeper interest in ‘behind the scenes’ activities like music production and song arranging.
Once he’d finished his higher education, gaining a Bachelor of Arts Hons Degree in Graphic Design majoring in Illustration, Art History and Photography, He turned ‘professional’ after forming rock band Tank with his brother Peter on guitar and former Damned bass player Algy Ward. He toured all over the UK and Europe with Tank and recorded 3 studio albums before leaving to broaden my musical perspective in 1983. Tank’s debut album, entitled ‘Filth Hounds of Hades’ charted in the top 30 in the UK, Europe and Japan is still considered today as one of the most influential rock/metal albums of the 80’s having been quoted as a major influence on the sound and career of, amongst others, Nirvana, Metallica and the whole ‘thrash metal’ scene.
Later Years
Mark Brabbs Music Production
Over the years post Tank, he is honoured to have played and recorded all over the world with a vast array of amazing bands and excellent musicians and worked with legendary and diverse acts such as AC/DC, Whitesnake, Diana Ross, Iron Maiden, Motörhead and Metallica.
He has been a session drummer for a number of record labels and recording studios and during his session work he was able to take an active part in music production, song-writing, song arranging and artist development.
