# Gavin Harrison's Drum Setup on Porcupine Tree's The Incident (2009)

> Gavin Harrison's kit on Porcupine Tree's double-disc concept album The Incident (2009) — Sonor SQ2 drums and Zildjian K Custom Special Dry cymbals on PT's most ambitious record.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Gavin Harrison](/llms/drummers/gavin-harrison.md)
**Band / Album:** Porcupine Tree — *The Incident* (2009)
**Genre:** Progressive Rock / Progressive Metal
**Label:** Roadrunner Records
**Studio:** Air Lyndhurst Studios, London (additional sessions at No-Man's Land, Monkey Puzzle, Bourne Place and Red Room Recorders)
**Producer:** Porcupine Tree (self-produced); mixed by Steven Wilson

## Overview

Released September 14, 2009, *The Incident* is Porcupine Tree's most structurally ambitious record and the last album the band released before a thirteen-year hiatus. Disc One is a single 55-minute song cycle — fourteen continuous movements under the umbrella title "The Incident" — that Gavin Harrison had to perform as one sustained dramatic arc rather than a collection of separate songs. Disc Two collects four standalone tracks ("Flicker," "Bonnie the Cat," "Black Dahlia," and "Remember Me Lover") recorded outside the suite, giving Harrison a second, more conventional context within the same release.

The two-disc structure put very different demands on Harrison's drumming. Across the title suite, movements like "Occam's Razor," "The Blind House," "Great Expectations," and "Drawing the Line" flow into one another without pause, meaning tonal and dynamic transitions happen drum-stroke by drum-stroke rather than song to song. "Time Flies," at nearly twelve minutes the suite's longest movement, compresses an entire pop-to-prog arc into a single piece, while the closing "I Drive the Hearse" needed to land as a final statement after fifty minutes of buildup.

Harrison brought the same Sonor SQ2 custom kit and Zildjian K Custom Special Dry cymbal setup he had refined on *In Absentia*, *Deadwing*, and *Fear of a Blank Planet* — by 2009 a thoroughly battle-tested rig built for the dynamic range and rhythmic layering Steven Wilson's writing demands. *The Incident* earned Porcupine Tree a Grammy nomination for Best Surround Sound Album, recognition that owed as much to the clarity of Harrison's drum recording in the 5.1 mix as to the album's songwriting.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Sonor SQ2 Series (custom thin maple shells)
- **Bass Drum:** 22" x 17"
- **Rack Toms:** 10" x 8", 12" x 9"
- **Floor Toms:** 14" x 13", 16" x 15"
- **Snare (primary):** Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature, 14" x 5.25" brass shell
- **Snare (auxiliary):** Sonor Gavin Harrison Protean, 12"
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian K Custom Special Dry series
- **Hi-Hats:** Zildjian 14" K Custom Special Dry
- **Crashes:** Zildjian 16" K Custom Special Dry, Zildjian 18" K Custom Special Dry
- **Ride:** Zildjian 21" K Custom Special Dry
- **China:** Zildjian 18" K Custom Trash China
- **Pedal:** Sonor Perfect Balance Pedal
- **Hardware:** Sonor 600 Series
- **Heads:** Remo Ambassador Coated (batter snare), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium to medium-high — consistent across both discs for dynamic continuity

### The Sonor SQ2: Built to Sustain a 55-Minute Arc

By the time Porcupine Tree began writing *The Incident* in late 2008, Harrison's Sonor SQ2 configuration was unchanged in its core specification from *Fear of a Blank Planet*: thin maple shells, a 22" bass drum sized for articulation rather than raw power, and a four-tom spread tuned in musical intervals. What *The Incident* asked of the kit was different, though — not just dynamic range within a single song, but tonal consistency across fifty-five uninterrupted minutes.

The title suite moves through wildly different drumming contexts without a break between tracks: the hushed texture of "Great Expectations," the driving full-kit groove of the title track, and the extended polyrhythmic workout in the back half of "Time Flies" all happen within the same continuous performance. The SQ2's thin shells made that range possible from a single, unchanging setup.

### Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature: Carrying the Suite

Harrison's 14" x 5.25" brass Signature snare remained his primary voice on *The Incident*. Because the fourteen movements run together, the snare has to credibly shift register from the restrained patterns of "Kneel and Disconnect" to the driving backbeat of "Drawing the Line" within one uninterrupted performance. The 12" Protean snare gets dedicated use on disc two, where its tighter attack suits the more conventional song structures of "Flicker" and "Remember Me Lover."

### Zildjian K Custom Special Dry: Clarity Across Fourteen Movements

The Special Dry series decays fast enough that layered, polyrhythmic patterns stay individually audible instead of blurring into wash — essential on a 55-minute continuous suite where there's no silence between movements for cymbal decay to clear naturally. The 21" Special Dry Ride anchors most of the suite's groove-driven sections, while the 14" Special Dry Hi-Hats handle intricate patterns in quieter movements like "Your Unpleasant Family."

### Sonor Perfect Balance Pedal

Even resistance through the full stroke gave Harrison precise bass drum dynamics rather than an on/off kick — a practical necessity across a continuous 55-minute performance, from the first bar of "Occam's Razor" to the last bar of "I Drive the Hearse."

## Key Facts

- Released September 14, 2009 on Roadrunner Records
- Recorded at Air Lyndhurst Studios, London; mixed by Steven Wilson
- Disc One: single 55-minute, 14-movement song cycle "The Incident"
- Disc Two: four standalone tracks — "Flicker," "Bonnie the Cat," "Black Dahlia," "Remember Me Lover"
- Grammy-nominated for Best Surround Sound Album (2010)
- Charted at #23 UK Albums Chart, #25 US Billboard 200
- Final Porcupine Tree studio album before the band's 13-year hiatus (2010–2022)
- Estimated full setup value: $9,600–$13,400

## FAQ

**Q: What drums and cymbals does Gavin Harrison use on The Incident?**
A: Gavin Harrison recorded The Incident (2009) on the same rig he used for Fear of a Blank Planet: a custom Sonor SQ2 Series kit with thin maple shells (22" x 17" bass drum, 10" and 12" rack toms, 14" and 16" floor toms), Zildjian K Custom Special Dry cymbals (21" Ride, 14" Hi-Hats, 16" and 18" crashes, 18" Trash China), and a Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature 14" x 5.25" brass snare. The Sonor Perfect Balance Pedal handled bass drum dynamics.

**Q: Why is The Incident a double album?**
A: Disc One is a single 55-minute song cycle — fourteen continuous movements performed under the umbrella title "The Incident" — recorded as one uninterrupted piece. Disc Two collects four standalone tracks written outside the suite. Harrison performed the title suite as one continuous dramatic arc while delivering four more conventionally structured songs on the second disc.

**Q: Did The Incident win any awards?**
A: The Incident received a Grammy nomination for Best Surround Sound Album at the 2010 awards, recognizing the album's 5.1 surround mix. It also reached #23 on the UK Albums Chart and #25 on the US Billboard 200.

**Q: How does The Incident fit into Porcupine Tree's drumming history?**
A: The Incident was the final Porcupine Tree studio album before the band's thirteen-year hiatus, which ended with 2022's Closure/Continuation. It closes out the run that began with In Absentia (2002) and Deadwing (2005) and peaked commercially with Fear of a Blank Planet (2007), all recorded with the same core Sonor SQ2 and Zildjian K Custom Special Dry setup.

## Related Articles

- **Full drummer profile**: [Gavin Harrison at MetalForge](/drummer/gavin-harrison)
- **Gavin Harrison kit guide**: [Gavin Harrison Porcupine Tree Drum Setup](/articles/gavin-harrison-porcupine-tree-drum-setup)
- **Fear of a Blank Planet gear**: [Fear of a Blank Planet Drum Setup](/articles/fear-of-a-blank-planet-drum-setup)
- **Closure/Continuation gear**: [Closure/Continuation Drum Setup](/articles/closure-continuation-drum-setup)