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She is a British drummer known as the founder and drummer of the all-female rock band The Suffrajets. Came from a family with a music background, she chooses to continue what the family has planted as a musician.
Gemma Clarke has a strong motivation to pursue her career as a musician. That is why she and her friends formed an all-female band named The Suffrajets. Clarke has also played drums with other bands, such as The Krak and Adam Ant. Currently, she is the drummer of JW Paris.
Clarke’s Personal Life
There are few details about Gemma Clarke’s personal life. However, she was born in England to a family that is quite close to the music world. Her parents, Henry Harington and Sara Champion, are the owners of a rehearsal studio in Old Street, named Rooz Studios. They also have a venue on Holloway Road called Nambucca.
Clarke and Her Bands
The Suffrajets was the first band she formed with her friends Alex Gillings and Charlene Hall. The band was active from 2002 to 2006 but gained popularity during their frequent tour and the release of one of their popular singles, Hold These Eyes. Their success mostly came from their famous song and concert touring. Clarke’s loyalty to the band can’t be denied, but after spending 12 years with the Suffrajets, they split in 2007.
During the active days of The Suffrajets, Gemma Clarke was also the drummer of Babyshambles. She was their drum player for only a year (2004-2005). Some releases that Clarke played are Killamangiro and The Man Who Came To Stay. However, because of the disagreement with the management, she decided to leave the group in 2005.
After The Suffrajets split, Clarke still kept her career as a drummer. She played drums in a band called The Krak. With the band, she released two singles titled Madame Riviere and School Disco. The Krak is quite famous at that time. They had extensive press and media coverage, playing guerilla gigs in some places. They even collaborated with the indie/rock band The Sea and played at Glastonbury in 2008.
Her Passion as Drummer
The Krak split in October 2009. However, Clarke’s passion for music didn’t go away. She still makes music and even did a new project called Spitfire in January 2010 with some of The Krak’s previous members.
In 2012, She formed a dance-punk band with fellow musicians like Laura Le Rox, Mercedes Di’Ett, Josefine Jonsson, and Rosie Bans. With them, Gemma Clarke played some gigs on some popular occasions but the band disbanded in November 2012.
She writes and is a columnist for several music magazines nowadays. Clarke also decided to play drums again with JW Paris. It shows how passionate she is about music.
Clarke’s musical journey has been pretty amazing so far. She’s not only a good drummer but also a great musician. Her experience as a musician has made her able to adapt to any kind of music genre and be one of the best female drummers in her current generation.
