The drum solo that gives Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders “chills”
Arctic Monkeys’ Matt Helders is the band’s unsung hero, and without him, they’d fall apart. While he doesn’t always get the same recognition as his group’s frontman Alex Turner, they both play an integral role in Arctic Monkeys.
Like all drumming greats, Helders is in a mould of his own and isn’t a replication of any others who have come before him. While he’s been influenced by many who have come before him and is grateful for what they’ve created, Helders has always been an original who dances to the sound of his own drum in a literal and figurative sense.
Despite carving out his own style, Helders still classifies Buddy Rich and John Bonham as two of the greatest to ever step behind a drum kit. He told KEXP in 2018: “I don’t know if there’s any one person in particular. I mean, I find it’s really difficult making a record and trying not to sound just like one other person. Influences are important, obviously, and what you take from them is important. I listen to a lot of, in terms of drummers, my favourite drummers are, like, John Bonham, but also Buddy Rich, even though I don’t necessarily play like either of them. I think it definitely seeps into my playing.”
Helders went on to say how Rich’s style of playing was more aligned with how he performed on Arctic Monkeys’ Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino than Led Zeppelin’s Bonham. He previously spoke about his love of the latter and told Music Radar in 2013: “I’d have to say that John Bonham is my favourite drummer of all time.”
From a drumming perspective, Helders’ favourite album from Led Zeppelin’s canon is their second record Led Zeppelin II. Speaking specifically of that LP, Helders picked out the song ‘Moby Dick’ and revealed Bonham’s drumming on the track gives him “chills”.
Helders commented: “He’s somebody that I always come back to. The reason why I picked this record purely comes down to a fill he does at the end of the ‘Moby Dick’ solo — before the band comes back in. It gives me chills, and that’s no exaggeration. I can hardly even express what it does to me. It’s perfect, absolutely perfect.”
The track showcased Bonham’s extraordinary talents and provided a high point of their sets during early tours. Although the song features contributions from other band members, ‘Moby Dick’ is all about the Led Zeppelin drummer, and his solo is one for the ages. During their legendary show at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970, Bonham remarkably played a 15-minute version of the track, which is available to watch below.
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