Dr Tom Atherton

Tom Atherton is a highly experienced drummer, percussionist & composer with an expertise comfortably bridging popular, classical & contemporary styles. He has written, toured and recorded throughout Europe and the US, with notable contributions to Metal (De Profundis, Thing), Prog (Tim Bowness, Jo Quail) & Contemporary Persian music (Ali Azimi, Ajam). He has also developed a profile as an improviser with over 10 years of performance in VLookUp Trio. As an MD, Tom has worked for the BBC, coordinating multiple artists for their World Service programmes. Additionally, he has even found the time to appear in a Hollywood film performing with Alice Cooper!

He studied under several renowned composer-percussionists including Bill Bruford, Joby Burgess & Seb Rochford, and was awarded his PhD in 2021. Today, Tom continues to pursue research interests in global underground music scenes, genre fracturing & the incorporation of tuned percussion to the rock band, as well as maintaining his busy composing and performing career.