Taiko Meantime
Japanese Taiko Drummers

    Taiko Meantime strike at the heart of Taiko drumming's magic: an enthralling show combining traditional Japanese rhythms and techniques with eclectic, original compositions, enticing their audience to follow them on a musical journey.

    Hailing from Greenwich, London, Taiko Meantime formed in 2001 and soon developed a show has lead them to sold-out performances in London, and appearances on BBC and Channel4 television.

    In 2004, they had the honour to perform alongside the world-class Hana Yui (of Kodo) at sold-out performances at the Lilian Baylis Theatre in London. In 2005 until the present time, Taiko Meantime have toured extensively with the Henri Oguike Dance Company, a collaboration melding Taiko with contemporary dance, which continues to receive critical acclaim.

    See our video, and let the journey begin!

Mark Alcock, leader of Taiko Meantime, studied and performed Taiko drumming with the Tennon Daiko drummers of Wakayama prefecture in Southern Japan. His teachers include Katsuji Kondo, former front man of the world famous Kodo drummers. On his return to England in 1994, he began playing with the brilliant Japanese percussionist Joji Hirota. Mark was also an original member of Glasgow-based Mugenkyo. He has performed alongside multi-percussionist Peter Lockett, dhol drummer Jonny Kalsi and most recently, regular performances with virtuoso flautist Guo Yue.

Mark also leads Taiko drumming workshops, having offered the first hands-on Taiko workshops in the UK to members of the public and schools. Since 2000 he has extended the education side of his work to the corporate world where he uses Taiko to unite teams in business www.rhythmworks.com.
Edward Pickering learned to play Taiko with Ataka Taiko group in Ishikawa, Japan in 1997 and was a regular performer for them for three years. In 2002 he joined Taiko Meantime, with whom he has performed on three continents. Edward plays Taiko with an energetic and physical style which reflects his interest in endurance sports.
Craig Coggle is a drummer, improviser and music educator. He studied jazz drumming with the late John Stevens and Japanese drumming with Taiko master Motofuji Hiroshi. He has toured worldwide as a drummer and performed on national TV and radio across Europe. He is currently developing a percussion piece for the PRS New Music Award.
Finlay Mitchell has been a kit drummer since 1997. He completed the 1 year diploma at Drumtech where he studied a broad range of styles. He passed Taiko Meantime's apprenticeship programme in 2008.
Janette Williams completed the Master Performance course at Drumtech in 2007 where she studied a wide range of styles and genres of music. She plays with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and has been a teacher with the Drumsense Programme since 2001. She joined Taiko Meantime in 2009.