David Barbarossa is a British drummer, and as part of both Adam & the Ants and Bow Wow Wow, Barbarossa was instrumental in creating the tribal drumming trend that was popular among British and some American bands, circa 1979-1983.



The two most famous examples of this style were Bow Wow Wow and Adam & The Ants, but also included John Lydon's PIL, The Cult, Killing Joke, and was even a strong influence on Phil Collins's break-through solo single, In The Air Tonight.



David Barbarossa's revolutionary tribal drum sound was heavily influenced by African Burundi drumming and featured backing beats played mostly on the tom-toms instead of traditional rock beats as played on cymbal, kick drum, and snare. This method created a rich, dramatic, and primevil atmosphere that had not previously been employed in a rock context, and was used extensively by post-punk bands of this era.



Later on, in the mid-90's, Dave Barbarossa was in the Electronica / New Wave band, Republica, which had some chart success in England and America with the songs Ready To Go and Drop Dead Gorgeous.