About Wasamba Carnival Drummers

Drumming for Decades

2003–2011: Under founding Band Leader Daniel Bowtell, the group established its energetic community atmosphere. During this time the group toured in Sydney and Adelaide, and performed at many gigs in Perth.

2011–2019: Dan passed the reins to his brother, Ben Bowtell, who introduced international touring, taking the group's rhythms to Europe, New Zealand, and across Australia. During this time Dan moved to Broome and in 2015 he established our Broome branch.

2019–2020: As Ben departed to join Cirque du Soleil, Emma Hyam took over leadership, guiding the group alongside understudy Elliot Martin. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, WASAMBA!! persevered with passion and determination. A highlight of this time was playing through the streets of Freo to bring supporters for the Freo Womens AFL team.

2020-2023: Ben briefly returned in 2020/21 before George Donaldson stepped in as Musical Director in October 2021. George continued to boost the group after COVID-19; continually perfecting our songs, and facilitating workshops. Notable gigs of this time include: the Slip Street Carnivale in Freo, Pride Parade, Telethon and the Perth Royal Show.

2023–2026: Abbie Vaisutis joined the musical team in 2023, and took over as Musical Director in May 2024. Abbie was dedicated to fostering inclusive energy in the group, and sharing her love for Wasamba. Memorable gigs during this time include: the Sail GP, Perth Fringe, Rugby Sevens, and Channel 7's Christmas Pagent.

Present: Today, heading into its 24th season, the group is led by Archie Swan—a long-time member since age 12 and current WAAPA music student. We are excited to see how he will continue to develop the unique blend of percussion and energy which is loved by audiences around the world.

2010: Founding Musical Director Daniel Bowtell moved to Broome after co-founding Wasamba in Fremantle. He ran local drum circles, taught percussion, and led a primary school group from Roebuck Primary performing in the samba style at the Shinju Matsuri festival.
2015: Following a six-week introductory group drumming course—coinciding with a tour from the Fremantle Wasamba group—local interest soared.
2016: The group travelled down to Perth and joined the Fremantle group for an epic weekend of drumming and performing together at Little Creatures and the Freo Festival.
2016-2020: The group grew to a diverse community ensemble of roughly 40 members ranging in age from 3 to 70+. Key Performances included GoPro International Summit, Telethon Fundraisers at Cable Beach Club, The Kyle Andrews Walk, Derby Boab Festival
2020 - 2025: When Dan moved back to Perth in December 2020 the group continued on under the joint musical directorship of Iaian Robertson & Mandy van Krimpen.
2025- present: The group celebrated their 10th year anniversary and now in 2026 continues to rehearse and perform with Mandy van Krimpen as Musical Director.