The drummer louder than a jet engine: musicians who reached peak decibel levels
In 2006, Australian drummer Col Hatchman walked up to his kit, picked up his sticks, and banged out a rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Stone Free” so loud that it’d have the same effect on your eardrums as standing 100 ft away from a jet engine during takeoff.
And he did it for charity.
At the Northern Star Hotel in New South Wales, Guinness World Records representatives watched (from far away) as Col’s “pimp-funk infused band”, the Dirty Skanks, performed an ear-splitting charity show into the early hours of 5 August.
Spectators rocked out to the classic songs, dancing and enjoying the deafening tunes. And at one point, Col cranked up the settings on his amplifier, and smashed on his drums so ferociously, that the sound was recorded at 137.2 dBA.
To note - the pain threshold for humans is 120-130 decibels, and any sound above 85 decibels can result in hearing loss, so we certainly don’t recommend trying this title at home.
But naturally, Col took home this punk-sounding record title for loudest drummer, and continued his successful drum career across Newcastle (including working as a public school drum teacher).
Col comes from a long line of rock stars who have attempted to ‘blow the roof off the place’ – such as prior record holder The Jerome Experience (aka Jéróme Dehèdin, France), who recorded a peak reading of 109.1 dBA at the Celtic Warriors' 10th Birthday Bash at Wood Green Animal Shelter, Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, UK, on 12 April 2003.
And British electronic duo Leftfield reportedly caused dust and plaster to fall from the roof when they registered 137 dBA during a gig at Brixton Academy, London, UK, on 15 June 1996.
At one point, American rock band Manowar took home the title for loudest band after their soundcheck at the Magic Circle Festival in Bad Arolsen, Germany, on 11 July 2008, which reportedly cranked up the volume to a thunderous 139 dBA.
And the legendary English metal band Motörhead also has a reputation for ear-splitting acts – singer Lemmy once said that their concerts “will be so loud that if we move in next door to you, your lawn will die” – proven by a Cleveland Variety Theater, USA, performance in 1986 which was “only” recorded at reaching 130 dBA.
Earlier attempts came from the band Deep Purple, whose 10,000 watts Marshall PA system at their 1972 London Rainbow Theatre concert attained a decibel level of 117 dBA – rendering three members of their audience unconscious.
This was topped by a 1976 performance by The Who, who used 100 amplifiers powered by a 76,000 watts PA system at the Charlton Athletic Football Ground to create a sound so loud that it reached 120 dBA just 50 m (164 ft) from the speakers.
And while the musicians might say “if it’s too loud, you’re too old” – we might side with your mom on this one, because exposure to high noise levels is known to cause PSH: Permanent Shift of Hearing or partial up to total instant deafness.
Loudest sounds over 100 decibels:
194 - loudest possible sustained sound in air
188 - loudest animal sound
139 - loudest band - Manowar (soundcheck, 2008)
138.4 - loudest pipe organ
138 - loudest siren
137.2 - loudest drummer - Col Hatchman
137 - Leftfield (1996) - former loudest band
134.1 - loudest whistle (steam)
132 - loudest personal gaming set-up
131.7 - loudest crowd roar at a sports stadium
131.6 - loudest scream by a crowd (indoors)
130 - Motӧrhead (1986) - former loudest band
130 - AC/DC - former loudest band
130 - Led Zeppelin - former loudest band
129 - loudest scream
127.2 - loudest scream by a crowd
126 - The Who (1976) - former loudest band
125 - loudest whistle
124 - loudest bark by a group of dogs
121.7 - loudest shout
117 - Deep Purple (1972) - former loudest band
114.2 - loudest click of the tongue
113 - loudest clap
111.1 - loudest blow of an alphorn
111 - loudest applause
109.9 - loudest burp (male)
109.1 - Jéróme Dehèdin (The Jerome Experience) - former loudest drummer
108 - loudest bark by a dog
108 - loudest snap of the fingers
107 - loudest burp (female)
106.7 - loudest insect
106.6 - loudest crowd roar at a sports stadium (indoors)
105 - loudest singing sands
103.8 - loudest paper gun
Unclassified: Loudest noise (Krakatoa); Loudest unexplained underwater sound (The Bloop)