Thrilling Yamato drummers inject ancient art with modern flare

Drums reach far back into human history. They were probably our first attempt at using a tool to make music. They've served as warning, marched us to war, connected us to the spiritual and gotten us on our feet. They can still touch something primal in our souls, demanding movement and ... at their most potent ... almost taking over our bodies.

Don't believe me? Check out Japan's Yamato drummers.

Sadly, you'll no longer be able to catch them in London, since we saw them at the very end of their stint with Sadler's Wells at the Peacock Theatre. But if you ever see them coming to your town, make booking tickets a priority. They are the best thing I've seen on stage since Hamilton.

My husband and I had seen and enjoyed Taiko drummers before. The high-energy style, rooted in Japanese folklore and religious tradition, is always dramatic and offers a feast for the eyes with its beautifully crafted (and often enormous) drums, exotic costumes and energetic movements. Even a short introduction makes it clear that it takes an enormous amount of physical effort to play these ancient instruments. But Yamoto was in a different league from the small troupes we'd seen at local Japanese festivals.

This is one of the premier groups of Japan, founded 26 years ago and typically spending more than half their time touring the world as cultural ambassadors. Much of their magic comes from their modern adaptation of Japanese art. In one number, their female members take centre stage with shamisen, the stringed instruments you're likely to think of geishas placidly plucking. Instead, as the drumming tempo behind them increases they swing into a playing style closer to heavy metal and remind you of nothing so much as the girls in Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love video. With a lot more energy.

Some pieces are deeply traditional, using lanterns, moody lighting and flutes to transport you half way around the world. Others are boldly modern in their humour, charisma and sex appeal. The second half starts with a swirling routine of drum hoisting and throwing that will remind you of the Stomp show, then sends the energy into overdrive. Five of the male drummers strip to the waist ... their muscle definition making the level of fitness required for their art instantly obvious ... then wedge themselves under enormous drums. Their backs were to us, legs straddling the instrument, bottoms on the edge of plinths and backs and arms unsupported. Just imagining the effort it took to sit like that made my stomach muscles hurt. The physical discipline required to play drums from that position for the next three minutes is almost unimaginable.

Of course they were showing off. The whole evening featured jaw-dropping moments of physical bravado and visual awe. But this might have misfired if the fundamentals ... the sounds of the drums ... weren't equally spectacular. They were. These drums have an impressive range, from sharp and metallic to almost hypnotically sonorous. They are properly musical, delivering compositions you could happily listen to without the visual stimulation. Most astonishing is the way they work with the bodies of the audience. At their dramatic peak, it was as if the drums were regulating the rhythm of our hearts. Compelling us to breathe. Literally making our bodies pound to the orders they were delivering. I've never had a musical experience quite like it.

We sought out Yamato as part of our year of Japanese cultural immersion. We're watching, reading, eating and drinking things Japanese in preparation for a big trip in the autumn. What started out as a bit of fun just added an item to the priority list for our trip. We're hoping to catch this extraordinary troupe on their home ground.