Drummer's West End role 'not like a real job'
Noah KeyA drummer from a theatrical family has said his latest gig, playing in a West End musical, "doesn't hugely feel like a job".
None of Noah Key's family are percussionists however, so the opportunity to perform Kinky Boots at London's Coliseum theatre was a chance to follow "my own little route".
Key, from Bridgnorth, said he was first introduced to the stage at the age of four, and appeared in a West End production of School Of Rock while still a child.
The 22-year-old said being involved in eight shows a week with Kinky Boots could be "relentless", but he enjoyed it and had the opportunity to express himself at times.
He said that as a child, his parents did not push him towards the stage, but he "grew up in that environment".
When he was younger he also competed in Britain's Got Talent and made a West End appearance in I Can't Sing: The X Factor Musical.
After learning to play the drums, Key performed in a band for more than four years before returning to the theatre, with the help of old contacts.
He is now part of a nine-person band at the Coliseum and has to perform from his own sound-proof booth in the pit.
'Played drums in car park'
"I'm in this big big square box with a load of sound proofing around there and I'm in my own little world there," he said.
His new home was a luxury compared to some of his previous jobs.
He said: "I've done shows where the corridor isn't big enough to have a full band there, so I've played drums from corridors at the very back of the stage. I've also played drums from a car park."
Keeping up with the show on the stage is crucial and he said "the main skill you have to have is consistency".
But he said: "I know i have a little bit of freedom and where I know I can put my own bit of flare on things, but it's just picking those moments correctly."
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