Portnoy slays rock classics on Hello Kitty drums

Mike Portnoy has proved his versatility by playing a string of rock classics on a tiny Hello Kitty drumkit.

The in-demand drummer hooked up with Loudwire for the stunt, which sees him trying to perform Slayer, Kiss and Rush hits on the three-piece child’s kit.

As he walks up to the stage, Portnoy jokes: “What the fuck, where is my tour manager? I specifically requested the Pokemon kit. I never play Hello Kitty. Obviously the fucking guy did not get the rider. And a single pedal? I’m supposed to be doing Slayer tunes on this thing. But I’m an artist and a professional. I will rise above.”

He goes on to play the intros to Strutter and Love Gun by Kiss, Criminally Insane and Raining Blood by Slayer and Rush classic YYZ.

Portnoy also plays the intro to Let Darkness Fall by supergroup Metal Allegiance, who released their self-titled debut album in September. It features Portnoy, Alex Skolnick and David Ellefson, along with a string of guests.

Zakk Wylde plays Black Sabbath on Hello Kitty guitar

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.