He bangs the drums A guide to the majestic drumming of Petr Cech
Behold - a new drumming god. This Arsenal goalkeeper has more than a pair of safe hands. Here’s a guide to his finest moments.
Drummers have always had a bit of a rough time. The people with the sticks often - err - get a whole lot of stick. Sometimes, however, a drummer comes along who changes everything, be it the wild style of Keith Moon or the rock-god status of Dave Grohl; transcending the role of timekeeper to bandleader.
Now, a new hero has been born: Petr Cech.
Ever since last year, the big man has become a YouTube sensation with his most majestic of drumming abilities, covering everyone from Foo Fighters to Rihanna in gleeful, godly fashion. It is a glorious marriage of one of football’s best loved keepers with a talent for making drumming look really, really fun. He kicks the kick drum like he kicks goal kicks, palms away crash cymbals like he swipes at incoming corners. This man has everything. Technique? Check. Precision? Check. Even his name is Cech. Come on!
It is quite clear that, much like mayflies are born to breed and then die or Donald Trump was born to be a prat, this man was born to drum. A flick back into the 2005 ‘Match’ annual and there you’ll find a paragraph on his music preferences, featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers and U2. Clearly, this demi-God – nay – God of percussion was destined to cover the stadium-rock giants that perform in the stadiums he himself performs in. Following the fact that he’s just gone and done a blistering cover of Nirvana’s ‘In Bloom’, here’s a look at some of his best covers so far, analysing the flawless skill of Petr the Great.
COLDPLAY – CLOCKS
The description for this video is telling. “It was never meant to be a cover…but you asked for more.” Asked for more we did, and here we are rewarded with a cover of Coldplay’s ‘Clocks’. Somehow Cech makes it thrilling, engaging, awesome. Choosing the live version of the track is an inspired choice, allowing a cheeky drum-roll bridge that speeds-up like Walcott down the right wing. It is as precise a performance as a clean sheet, and is a mammoth athletic performance, considering it spans six and a half minutes.
FOO FIGHTERS – WALK
A check to see the video is recording. Mouthing the lyrics triumphantly. Nonchalant glances at the camera. And then – BAM – it blows-up into an explosive cover of Foo Fighters’ ‘Walk’. As the new Arsenal chant goes: “Petr Cech is magic / he wears a magic hat.” Here, his hi-hats are nothing less than pure magic; they ricochet like saucepans hurled by Gordon Ramsay on Hell’s Kitchen. As the comments plead, we can only hope that he hooks up with fellow player Rosicky to form a band (The Cechmates, anyone?).
U2 - MAGNIFICENT
Here, Cech is a technician. He sports a pair of glasses and is a living manifestation of pure focus. The drumsticks are more of a blur than Alex James gorging on one of his freshly made cheeses, and the snare drum is constantly thumped along to the stadium-rock staple. Sure, it’s U2; sure it’s a bit of a rubbish song, but the drumming is nothing short of magnificent (sorry).
INCUBUS – ANNA MOLLY
The gloves are on, and there’s a reason; this one’s as fiery as Arsene Wenger was after Stoke thumped his team in December. He seems to possess more than two hands in the critical moments of the track, as various cymbals are battered and the kick drum is given a good ol’ kicking. The description sees Cech modestly say that it is “challenging for someone like me,” but this is clearly incorrect; it is performed with sheer ease. As one commenter quips: “If Big Pete is happy, I’m happy.” Nothing could be more true.
For more footballing drummers, check out Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain and DIY FC’s own Paeris from The Magic Gang.
With Bob Vylan, St Vincent, girl in red, Lizzy McAlpine and more.