Experience excitement of synchronised drumming

A UNIQUE festival of taiko drumming returns to Exeter to celebrate its fifth anniversary.

With an ever-growing national and international reputation, the UK Taiko Festival has been getting better every year and this year's programme could make it the best yet.

Its aim is to celebrate the exciting performance art form which originated in Japan and is now gaining in popularity throughout the world.

It also offers players and audiences the opportunity to see a wide range of performances, from young players who have only being playing a few months to big names in the UK taiko scene with many years of experience.

The two-day event, hosted by Exeter group Kagemusha Taiko, will include a concert as well as taiko performances and public workshops in the Guildhall Shopping Centre, Exeter.

The principal venue is Exeter Northcott, which is hosting the opening concert tonight from 7.30pm.

From Japan will be Wadaiko Tokara led by Art Lee, who first visited Kagemusha Taiko in 2003 and returned the following year as a member of the group brought by Grand Master Daihachi Oguchi.

Since then, Art has won the all-Japan Odaiko Competition and his own group, Tokara, has gone from strength to strength, touring in the USA , Japan and now the UK too.

Topping the bill is Taiko Meantime, one of the most exciting and musically dynamic UK groups.

Its performance at Exeter Phoenix as part of the third UK Taiko Festival was described as outstanding, and many people will be thrilled with the group's return.

First on will be Issho Taiko, from Glasgow, which mixes the spectacle and raw power of taiko with other sounds.

Tomorrow, two national youth taiko concerts are being held at Exeter Northcott at 2pm and 7.30pm.

Between them, they will see nearly 200 young people from all over the UK descend on Exeter to participate in the concerts.

Some of them won't have too far to travel though, with members from the Cheriton Bishop Taiko Team playing in the evening concert.

The festival director is Jonathan Kirby, founder of Exeter's Kagemusha Taiko, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

His vision has always been to establish Exeter as the capital of taiko in the UK and the festival is helping him achieve that dream.

He said: "Taiko is one of those things that looks easy but there's a strong discipline to it. It's mostly choreographed — it's a bit like synchronised drumming.

"You have to be relatively uninhabited and put a lot of energy into it. It's not tiring, it's energising because it's really exciting and gets the adrenaline going."

Tickets for the concert tonight cost £12, and tickets for tomorrow's concert cost £5 each. Details: 01392 493493.