Yomi Ship launch fundraising initiative for drummer’s back surgery

Perth post-rock trio Yomi Ship have launched a fundraising initiative to help their drummer, Nick Osborne, get surgery for a debilitating back injury.

The group posted on social media this week that Osborne had to pull out of their trip to Europe for their first international tour.

“Hey crew, it’s T-minus two days until we head off to Europe for our first ever international tour,” it read. “Sadly, Nick is unable to join us due to his back injury.”

“We were hoping for a miracle recovery, and although Nick has followed doctors and specialists’ orders to a T and done everything possible to be ready for the tour, it just wasn’t to be. Unfortunately, the only solution to get Nick back on the kit as soon as possible is surgery.”

As well as being the drummer for Yomi Ship, Osborne is self-employed as a drum teacher and part-time disability carer. He has been unable to work for the last month.

Osborne was diagnosed with a severe herniated disc a week and a half before Yomi Ship’s album launch show on Friday, June 28. Although he was able to pull through on the night, he has been left bedridden ever since and unable to work, drive a car, or even stand for more than a few minutes at a time.

The group has set up a GoFundMe page to help Osborne pay for his surgery to correct a herniated disk in Osborne’s lower back and for subsequent rehabilitation.

“I love working as a drum teacher, and I’m missing my students,” Osborne said. “The mental anguish of letting my students down, missing out on a career-defining tour, and the pressure the band has been under has been extreme, but if I am able to offset some of the financial stress, it would better allow me to enter rehab and make sure I’m back to being 100% as soon as possible for major upcoming shows and potential tours. Any donation, large or small, is greatly appreciated.”

In the meantime, Yomi Ship have enlisted Alex O’Toole, from Sydney prog trio Recalibrate, to join them on the drums for their upcoming European Tour dates.

Kicking off in Paris tonight, the 10-date tour sees Yomi Ship supporting Sydney guitar virtuoso Plini and Californian rock band Night Verses in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Poland before wrapping up with a set at ArcTanGent Festival in Bristol, UK.

Yomi Ship have launched a fundraising initiative for their drummer, Nick Osborne, to get back surgery. To donate head to the GoFundMe page.