Ian Matthews plays drums with Kasabian. When Ian got his first drumkit at age four, he was lucky that his babysitter was also a professional drummer: "He’d teach me a few rudiments and how to read a bit. That got me into jazz coordination and learning samba and mambo.." By the time Ian Matthews was seven, he could play “a pretty good waltz, quickstep, foxtrot, and tango.”

Ian played his first gig at a local pub, sitting in for the drummer in his father’s band. Four years later, a one-off performance in the orchestra pit at Bristol, England’s 2,000-seat Hippodrome theater led to steady work playing in musical comedy productions and jazz shows throughout his teens.

Today Ian Matthews reckons his diverse background made it easy for him to step into his gig with British rockers Kasabian, whose vibrant brand of rock mixes elements of new wave, electronica, and dub beats with classic progressive song structure.