Aussie Drummers Among Finalists In 2015 Hit Like A Girl Competition

Two Australian drummers have been named among the list of publicly and professionally voted finalists for 2015's international Hit Like A Girl competition, being held for the fourth time ever this year.

Mel Wu (of Brissy outfit The Midway Creatures) and Brooke Custerson (of Melbourne's Iced Upon Anchor) are the two local skinsmiths to have made the cut to be considered for the contest's grand prize for drummers aged 18 and up (Hit Like A Girl also runs an under-18s bracket), with a total of more than 45 finalists named across both age categories.

In order to be considered for the competition, Wu, Custerson and their fellow entrants had to submit a three-or-so-minute video of themselves smashing the skins, along with a brief bio explaining their background and a photo of themselves behind the kit.

In her entry material, Wu explains that she had long harboured a fascination with drummers and finally convinced her parents to relent and let her start hitting the skins at age nine, while 18-year-old Custerson is following in transgenerational footsteps — her grandfather, father and older brother all possessed a penchant for percussion.

To wow the professional and public judges, Custerson sublimely covered Gregg Bissonette's ordinarily drumless track Let It Loose in her entry video, while Wu offered up a super-wild backing to Northeast Party House's Sick Boy. You can see clips of both drummers in action below.

The pair of Aussie percussionists will now battle it out with fellow thrashers from countries all over the world, with finalists from both the 18+ and under-18 line-ups hailing from locations including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Turkey, Netherlands, Puerto Rico and Argentina.

The 2015 Hit Like A Girl Contest winners will be revealed on Thursday, 7 May, at 4pm (US Pacific time). See the competition's website for more information.