Matt Nicholls | |
|---|---|
 Nicholls in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Matthew Stephen Nicholls [1] |
| Also known as | Mat Nicholls [2] |
| Born | 22 March 1986 [3] Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Drummer |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Member of | Bring Me the Horizon |
Matthew Stephen Nicholls (born 22 March 1986) is a British musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Bring Me the Horizon. He is featured on all seven of the band's studio releases.
Nicholls was born and raised in Rotherham, South Yorkshire on 22 March 1986. [4] His parents divorced and his father gained custody of him and bought him a drum kit. [5] Nicholls is a self-taught drummer. [2] As he was learning how to play drums, Nicholls stated that he was never "influenced by drummers" rather, he listened to CDs and followed along with what they played. [5] He also never had plans to be a drummer and never took drums seriously until he was 18 when Bring Me the Horizon started. [6] His mother also wanted him to get a day-job instead of pursuing music, however Nicholls wasn't so keen to the idea. [7] When he lived in his apartment block, he was never able to play drums because he was surrounded by other people complaining, so he could only play drums when he was playing at shows. [5] Nicholls played in the mock hip-hop group Womb 2 Da Tomb with fellow Bring Me the Horizon member Oliver Sykes and Sykes' brother Tom. [8]
Bring Me the Horizon formed in March 2004, and the band released their debut EP, This Is What the Edge of Your Seat Was Made For , that same year. [9] Their debut studio album, Count Your Blessings was released on 30 October 2006. [10] The album peaked at number 93 on the UK Albums Chart. [11] Their second studio album, Suicide Season was released on 29 September 2008. [12] The album reached number 47 on the UK Albums Chart. [11] Their third studio album, There Is a Hell Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let's Keep It a Secret was released on 4 October 2010, [13] and debuted at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart. [11] The group toured in the UK in support of the album, however, Nicholls broke his hand and was unable to continue for the remainder of the tour and Dan Searle of Architects filled in for him. [14] He returned to the group later that year in September and joined them on their headlining American tour. [15] Their fourth studio album, Sempiternal was released on 1 April 2013, [16] peaking at number three on the UK Albums Chart. [11] The group's fifth studio album, That's the Spirit was released on 11 September 2015. [17] The album peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, [11] as well as number two on the Billboard 200, making it the band's first top ten in the US. [18] Their sixth studio album, Amo was released on 25 January 2019. [19] The album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart. [20] Their seventh studio album, Post Human: Nex Gen was released on 24 May 2024. [21]
In 2019, Music Radar named Nicholls as the tenth best rock drummer. [22] In October 2021, Nicholls made an appearance on BBC Breakfast , giving drumming advice for a 24-hour drumathon program for Children in Need. [23]
Nicholls owned a Pearl Export drum kit, which he used for recording on their first album Count Your Blessings . Following the release of that album, he bought a Tama Starclassic, which he used for recording on the group's next four albums. [24] While performing live, Nicholls uses a SJC drum set, which he has been playing since 2008. His double pedal kit consists of a Joey Jordison Signature Export kit and the Speed Cobra brand. [2] Nicholls owns a Roland drum kit that he uses to play and learn stuff on at home. He also had a gong drum which SJC made for him. Nicholls owns a variety of snares, including his main Vinnie Paul snare, a Pearl snare and an SJC snare. [24] He also has a 14" Black Brass and a 13" G Maple. [2]
Nicholls has a 16" and 18" floor toms, as well as a 22"x16" kick drum to fit the "faster metal stuff" the band plays. He has a pair of closed hats that is a part of his set up on the right side of his kit. [2] He prefers to mix his cymbals set up while he plays. He used to own a China cymbal when the band was playing heavier music, but has since gotten rid of it. On That's the Spirit , Nicholls uses an 18" A Custom EFX cymbal and an A Custom Rezo crash cymbal. He also uses his Zildjian Gen16 cymbals. [24] As of 2019, Nicholls uses an 18" EFX and the 21" Special Dry Trash Crash. Nicholls plays with Vic Firth sticks. [2] Nicholls' set up was inspired by Abe Cunningham from Deftones. Since the band added electronics into their music, Nicholls plays to a click using his SPD-S. [24]
At first, Nicholls didn't learn "the proper way to drum," such as playing chops or grooves. [25] [2] When the band recorded Count Your Blessings , he considered himself to be "really frantic and trying to be as metal as possible," doing things he couldn't pull off at the time. His style consisted of fast playing, influenced by Swedish metal. [26] Throughout the years, Nicholls developed a more solid technique, playing "more controlled, more chilled, more complimenting of the music," giving a complex and diverse style. [26] Speaking more about his technique, he considers his right hand to be good but his left hand a bit stiff. He bought a Korg Beatlab to build on his left hand, practising single strokes to get used to playing like his right hand. Nicholls also uses an Ez drummer software to work on fills and other drum parts. In the early years he would play over a lick and add a beat and fill over it. [26] Nicholls "hated" playing to a click at first as he couldn't figure out how to play along with it, but decided to give it another chance on the band's third studio album, There Is a Hell Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let's Keep It a Secret. He credits the click on him playing better on drums. [25] On the band's 2019 album Amo , his style focused on more grooves and more hi-hat work. [2]
Nicholls revealed that he was diagnosed with ADD. [6] He is a football fan and supports EFL Championship club Rotherham United. [4]
Studio albums
| Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MusicRadar | Best Rock Drummer | 2019 | 10 | [22] |
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals, and sometimes other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The drummer typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks or special wire or nylon brushes; and uses their feet to operate hi-hat and bass drum pedals.
James Joseph Chamberlin is an American drummer and record producer. Described as "one of the most powerful drummers in rock," he is best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. Following the 2000 breakup of the band, Chamberlin joined Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan in the supergroup Zwan and also formed his own current group, the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex.
Daniel Edwin Carey is an American musician and songwriter who is the drummer for the progressive metal band Tool. He has also contributed to albums by artists such as Zaum, Green Jellö, Pigface, Skinny Puppy, Adrian Belew, Carole King, Collide, Meat Puppets, Lusk, and the Melvins.
Chuck Biscuits is a Canadian drummer best known for his work in several punk rock bands.
Stephen Kendall Gadd is an American drummer, percussionist, and session musician. Gadd is one of the best-known and highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1984. Gadd's performances on Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" (1976) and "Late in the Evening", Herbie Mann's "Hi-jack" (1975) and Steely Dan's "Aja" (1977) are examples of his style. He has worked with other popular musicians from many genres including Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, Chick Corea, Chuck Mangione, Eric Clapton and Michel Petrucciani.
Bring Me the Horizon are a British rock band, formed in Sheffield in 2004. The group currently consists of lead vocalist Oli Sykes, drummer Matt Nicholls, guitarist Lee Malia and bassist Matt Kean. They are signed to RCA Records globally and Columbia Records exclusively in the United States.
Thomas Armon Pridgen is an American drummer, best known for his role as the drummer of The Mars Volta from 2006 until 2009. He is touring with rapper Residente and is the drummer for hardcore punk band Trash Talk, as well as his own project The Memorials. In 2023 he joined Fever 333.
Jean-Paul Gaster is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Clutch.
Lee David Malia is a British musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Bring Me the Horizon. With the band, he has released seven studio albums. He cites influences from Gary Moore, Bon Iver, and Metallica among many more.
Oliver Scott Sykes is a British singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band Bring Me the Horizon. He also founded the apparel company Drop Dead Clothing, and created a graphic novel.
Matthew Kean is a British musician, best known as the bassist of the rock band Bring Me the Horizon. He has been credited on all seven of the band's studio releases.
Sempiternal is the fourth studio album by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. It was released on 1 April 2013 worldwide through RCA Records, a subsidiary label of Sony Music, and 2 April 2013 in the United States and Canada through Epitaph Records. It is the first album to feature former Worship keyboardist Jordan Fish and the first with guitarist Lee Malia playing both lead and rhythm parts.
"Shadow Moses" is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. Written by vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia and keyboardist Jordan Fish, it was produced by Terry Date and featured on the band's 2013 fourth studio album Sempiternal. The song was released as the lead single from the album on 11 January 2013, reaching number 82 on the UK Singles Chart and number 2 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart.
"Sleepwalking" is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. Written by the band's vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia and keyboardist Jordan Fish, it was produced by Terry Date and appeared on the band's fourth studio album Sempiternal, released in 2013. The song was released as the second single from the album on 1 March 2013, reaching number three on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart.
"Go to Hell, for Heaven's Sake" is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. Written by vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia and keyboardist Jordan Fish, it was produced by Terry Date and featured on the band's 2013 fourth studio album Sempiternal. The song was also released as the third single from the album on 6 June 2013, reaching number 22 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
Jordan Keith Attwood Fish is a British musician. He was the keyboardist and producer of the rock band Bring Me the Horizon from 2012 until his departure in 2023. Fish appeared on five studio releases with the band, Sempiternal (2013), That's the Spirit (2015), Amo (2019), Post Human: Survival Horror (2020) and Post Human: Nex Gen (2024). Before joining the group, he was in the bands Proxies and Worship from 2010 to 2013.
Amo is the sixth studio album by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. Originally scheduled for release on 11 January 2019, it was released on 25 January 2019. The album was announced on 22 August 2018, a day after the release of the lead single "Mantra". It was produced by vocalist Oliver Sykes and keyboardist Jordan Fish, and was written and recorded primarily in Los Angeles.
"In the Dark" is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. Produced by the band's vocalist Oliver Sykes and keyboardist Jordan Fish, it is featured on the group's 2019 sixth studio album Amo. The track was released as the seventh and final single from the album on 21 October 2019.
Music to Listen to~Dance to~Blaze to~Pray to~Feed to~Sleep to~Talk to~Grind to~Trip to~Breathe to~Help to~Hurt to~Scroll to~Roll to~Love to~Hate to~Learn Too~Plot to~Play to~Be to~Feel to~Breed to~Sweat to~Dream to~Hide to~Live to~Die to~Go To is a commercial release by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. It was released on 27 December 2019 without prior announcement. The release was produced by the band's vocalist Oliver Sykes and keyboardist Jordan Fish, and features collaborations with several artists including American singer Halsey and British band Yonaka.
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Live albums | |
| Extended plays | |
| Other releases | |
| Singles |
|
| Featured songs |
|
| Other songs | |
| Related articles | |
