Nick (Drums/Vocals)

Nick Smith, a drummer known for his silliness and love of drums and vocals, doesn’t provide precise dates for his musical journey. His drumming passion started when his Auntie Cath gifted him a toy snare drum for Christmas, which he promptly broke due to his heavy hitting nature.

In the late 80s, Nick joined his first band (an outfit with various names, none of which he can recall). This middle-of-the-road covers band unknowingly recruited a drumming enthusiast who was obsessed with “Gallopy Metal” but who lacked a sense of meter, tempo, and dynamics. After some interesting gigs and friendships, they eventually let him go.

Nick became a part of Rubber Love around 1990, joining Stephen Bryne, Matt French, and Idwal Wynn-Jones. At various times, Rubber Love was joined on guitar by Rob Clarke and Alan Hargest. The band delved into the wonky world of alternative rock, creating beautiful, euphoric, and visceral music that was often too fast and too loud for the nearly empty rooms they played in across three counties and beyond.

Later, Nick transitioned from singing backing vocals to becoming the lead vocalist while still playing the drums. The band initially thought it would be temporary until they found a new singer, but that never happened. This change presented challenges like the possibility of passing out from lack of oxygen during gigs and enduring Phil Collins jokes. Nonetheless, they continued performing at gigs and studios, enjoying themselves along the way.

Around 2012, Nick joined Sons of Yoda, which he considers his other family. The band’s mission is to bring back the fun in being a band, devoid of egos, bosses, or nonsense. They aim to make audiences laugh and progressively increase the heaviness of their rock as the set goes on.

In 2022, Nick reunited with Stephen and Matt to form Sun Nation, referring to them as his “other family”.