Pork Pie Big Boy Bicycle Drum Throne

Earlier in the year, this reviewer had the pleasure of heading to the Rod Laver Arena to witness one of the strangest, funkiest, most mind-blowingly talented human beings ever born perform for two and a half hours. Of course, we're talking about Prince. His Royal Badness himself led a gun band through a set of hits that simply can't be paralleled in modern music, whipping the crowd into a frenzy with their top notch instrumentalism and practised showmanship. The whole show was, as every good live show is, anchored together by their skins-man, John Blackwell – a tour de force behind the kit. What does this all have to do with a drum stool you ask? Well, one look at the Pork Pie Big Boy Bicycle Drum Throne and you'll agree, if Prince's drummer doesn't already use this stool, he damn well should!

Resplendent in wavy purple fabric, the stool was designed by Pork Pie founder Bill Detamore, an eccentric drum engineer who has customised kits for the likes of Guns n' Roses, Blink 182 and The Ramones. Detamore has been quoted as saying that his imagination is key to his success, and there are no exceptions here. The stool (or 'throne') comes packing a large and comfortable bicycle-style base that is more than equipped to handle the most ample of drummer derrières. You really do feel like you're sitting on a cloud and no amount of exertion can ruffle the Pork Pie's rock solid base. The piece doesn't feature the pivoting action of other throne's such as the Roc-n-Soc Nitro throne, and is instead built as a solid single unit. In this lies the throne's only real problem – it seems to be tailored specifically for larger drummers. The height adjustment, although quick and easy to manoeuvre, didn't quite go low enough for a smaller-framed drummer. Similarly, for your Meg Whites of the world, the seat might be a bit too large and uncomfortable.

Aesthetically, the aforementioned purple fabric is offset by a wavy pattern and sparkling plastic covering around the outside of the base. The raised bicycle-style centre section allows the drummer's legs to lock right into place, avoiding the slipping and sliding associated with heavy kick drum or hi-hat work. There is a real handmade vibe at work here, which sits pleasingly at odds with its glamorous facade. Proudly stating Betamore's assertion that the throne was 'made by an American' on the rear, you can't escape the feeling that a lot of time and care went into the construction of the Big Boy. When stacked up against your average drum stool, well... nothing compares to it.