The next great drummer is here.
In a video posted to Twitter, Nandi Bushell’s intense grimacing, expert stick-flipping, and coordinated purple earmuffs and drumsticks prove she’s a talented showperson. But it’s her absolutely perfect rendition of “Everlong” by Foo Fighters that proves the ten-year-old from Ipswich, England, is a drumming wunderkind.
Bushell said in the tweet accompanying the video that it was her dream to “one day jam with Dave Grohl, @taylorhawkins and all the @foofighters!” before the precocious ten-year-old clarified that her dreams didn’t stop there.
“Mr Grohl I would love to have a drum battle with you!” she wrote and, after ending her video by yelling an emphatic “CHECK! MATE!” at the camera, it’s clear she isn’t joking around.
My dream is to one day jam with Dave Grohl, @taylorhawkins and all the @foofighters! Mr Grohl I would love to have a drum battle with you! I LOVE Everlong it’s really hard to play as it’s so fast but so much FUN! #foofighters pic.twitter.com/Pmdhvl57uu
— Nandi Bushell (@Nandi_Bushell) August 17, 2020
As is his wont, Grohl replied directly to his young acolyte/rival. Sitting at his daughter’s drumset, Grohl cranked out his own version of “Everlong” before addressing Bushell directly.
“I haven’t played that song since the day I recorded it in 1997. Our drummer Taylor Hawkins plays that song, ‘Everlong,’ for us every night. But Nandi, in the last week I’ve gotten at least a hundred texts from people all over the world saying ‘This girl is challenging you to a drum-off. What are you gonna do?’
“Now look, I’ve seen all your videos, I’ve seen you on TV, you’re an incredible drummer and I’m really flattered that you picked some of my songs to do for your videos, and you’ve done them perfectly. So today, I’m gonna give you something you may not have heard before.”
Hey @Nandi_Bushell!
Challenge accepted.
Haven’t played these songs in a loooooong time…..thanks for the inspiration!!!
Your move!!!
Your friend in rock,
Dave(Thanks to my daughter, Harper for letting me borrow her drum set) pic.twitter.com/Ytq47CcZRC
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) August 29, 2020
Grohl went on to introduce “Dead End Friends,” a song by Grohl’s Them Crooked Vultures supergroup, which also includes Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones.
Bushell responded with a video accepting the challenge, announcing that she’s going to learn the song and “checkmate this one too!”
This is UNREAL! I can’t believe Dave Grohl actually accepted my drum battle, Thank you! Now it’s my turn to learn ‘dead end friends’ by @crookedvultures! I am going to checkmate this one too! Thank you Harper for lending your Dad the kit! @foofighters #davegrohl #foofighters pic.twitter.com/gAyoVYSySM
— Nandi Bushell (@Nandi_Bushell) August 29, 2020
In other words, this particular drum battle is just getting started.
