The Swiss don’t have a Navy, but they have a civilian drum corps that could drum the heck out of an enemy. Their performances are a sight to behold!
Top Secret Drum Corps is comprised of 25 drummers and color guards. Their high energy and demanding performances last several minutes straight, longer than similar groups. Based in Switzerland, the Corps has been attaining more international recognition since its 2003 performance at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. They were so good that they were invited to perform even though they are non-military.
Basel, Switzerland has 175,000 residents. At any given time, approximately 3,000 of them are active drummers. This is quite a large percentage of the population. Basel has a strong tradition of drumming. A Drummer King competition is held annually at the city’s carnival called Fasnacht.
The members of Top Secret Drum Corps range from college students to people with day jobs. The demanding schedule has them practicing almost every day. This creates a lot of turnover in the group as people’s daily lives often interfere when work and family obligations change.
The demands placed upon these members sure do pay off in their performances. Their routines are unlike any others that I have seen. In addition to the amazing drumming, they even have pyrotechnics! The extreme amount of dedication is on display for all to see. Below, you will see the bulk of their performance at the 2013 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It’s quite the showstopper!
What an amazing performance! It’s no shock they are a favorite of this military tattoo – and they aren’t even a military band! Their performances are routinely 6 minutes in length and every second is worth the watch.
In 2012, the Top Secret Drum Corps impressed the crowd with a different performance that was of the same caliber as the one above. Video of that is below.
Share this with any of your friends and family who would think Top Secret Drum Corps is amazing!