Premier has been making drums since 1922 (interestingly, the same year that saw the creation of Gummy Bears, the malted milkshake, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby), and for a good bit of time in the ’60s, Premier was the drum of choice for first-rate stickstuds like Mitch Mitchell and Keith Moon.

The company fell on less stellar times and was eventually purchased in 2021 by the British gear retailer Gear4music…which seems, frankly, quite weird and worrisome. Kind of like if Ludwig was acquired by Guitar Center. Would that be a trustworthy union? Would they actually continue to make good drums, or would they just produce some cut-rate percussion pablum to bolster profits?

We haven’t a clue what Premier’s P&L statements look like, but the company has just released some new gear that does inspire faith. Brace yourself for the drum porn!

First up is the Artist Club 100, a 4-piece compact kit finished in classic British Racing Green. Sizes include the following:

• 20″ x 8″ bass drum
• 10″ x 6″ rack tom
• 13″ x 11″ floor tom
• 13″ x 5.5″ snare drum

Next up is the Genista 100SE, a 6-piece, all-birch shell pack with a tri-band finish. The lugs on these guys are unique and cool. The kit includes the following sizes:

• 22″ x 18″ bass drum
• 10″ x 7″ rack tom
• 12″ x 8″ rack tom
• 14″ x 14″ floor tom
• 16″ x 16″ floor tom
• 14″ x 5.5″ snare

And finally, we have the Della-Porta 100 snare drum. It’s handmade in the UK and limited to only 100 units. The shell is walnut and comes in one size, a 14” x 5”.