Kit Marsden // Musician

Tag: performing

  • Music Video: Alexander Carson – Deep Dark Blue

    Music Video: Alexander Carson – Deep Dark Blue

    Kit Marsden

    , ,

    A few weeks ago, I played drums in a live music video for Alexander Carson‘s new single ‘Deep Dark Blue’. ‘Deep Dark Blue’ is a love letter to Lisbon and the lyrics are inspired by Lord Byron’s poem ‘Childe Harold’; it centres around the idea of nature enduring all, sometimes even human connection.

    The video was shot at Ambition’s Graveyard in Norwich, and filmed on analogue video cameras by Dog At The Opera, and features Alexander Carson’s new backing band:

    • Lucy Charlotte – Vocals
    • Harry Fisher – Viola
    • Acer Smith – Bass
    • Kit Marsden – Drums
    • Tom Tarbuck – Guitar

    After warm-up shows with the new band line-up in Norwich and London during November, new shows with Alexander Carson for 2026 will be announced soon. Keep an eye on the Calendar page for dates and other details.

  • Alexander Carson

    Alexander Carson

    Kit Marsden

    , ,

    I’m delighted to be able to announce that I’ll be playing drums for singer-songwriter Alexander Carson on their upcoming live shows this year and next year – starting with two gigs in November, at The Holloway in Norwich, and The Finsbury in London.

    Alexander Carson is a non-binary singer-songwriter/composer based in Norwich Norfolk, United Kingdom, They spend the majority of their time bumbling around the house making obtuse sounds, comforted and accompanied by two ambivalent cats, one over-excited dog, and one long-suffering partner.

    Carson first picked up the piano at age 4 (which is especially difficult considering the weight) and was classically trained,their music reflects this discipline and sounds like a cross between Chopin and Rufus Wainwright.

    Carson is inspired by the mundanity of modernity and aims to articulate the absurdity of human existence in their music. This is all presented with a surrealist sense of humour to soften the often melancholic timbre of the music.

    Essentially their music is trying to set one Oscar Wilde quote to music: “Life is much too important a thing ever to talk seriously about”.

    Keep an eye on the Calendar page for more exciting new dates with Alexander Carson soon.

  • Pronto! Bastardo! That’s A Wrap On Nell’ Ora Blu

    Pronto! Bastardo! That’s A Wrap On Nell’ Ora Blu

    Kit Marsden

    , , ,

    Pronto! Bastardo…!

    The Nell’ Ora Blu tour has come to an end, after we played the final show at the iconic Palace Theater in LA a couple of nights ago.

    Atmospheric keys and emotive bursts of saxophone augmented the band’s colossal rhythm section and blistering guitar, polished to a brilliant shine but retaining the dangerous, subversive qualities that pervade their complete oeuvre…

    THEDADROCK.BLOG

    I want to say an enormous thank you to Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats for having me along for the ride. That’s been an absolute pleasure! I am really going to miss playing the show – which was so meticulously staged and crafted to shock and thrill audiences around the world – and of course I am going to miss the amazing musicians in the band and our incredible crew. That’s been an honour and privilege to work with you all over the last couple of months.

    Huge thanks to all the Uncle Acid fans who came out to watch a show. You have helped make this an unforgettable experience; that’s been a total blast from start to finish.

    With Kit Marsden and Rachel Burnett on keyboards, the sound was rich, draped in a distinct ‘70s film score aesthetic.

  • Candacraig At Nene Valley Rock Festival

    Candacraig At Nene Valley Rock Festival

    Kit Marsden

    , , ,

    Already a Prog Magazine ‘Limelight’ band in 2024, 2025 has already started strong for Candacraig, being voted among the top five Best New Artists by readers of Prog Magazine in a nationwide readers’ poll.

    Following the success of the Brave tour and livestream, I am deilghted that I’ll be linking up with Candacraig again later this year to play the Kingfisher Stage at Nene Valley Rock Festival at Grimsthorpe Castle in south Lincolnshire.

    Candacraig will appear on Sunday 7th September, presenting ‘their unique blend of neo prog, art rock and dark folk’ with their full five-piece line-up, including me on keyboards. Early bird tickets are available now from the NVRF website.

  • Candacraig ‘Brave’ Livestream

    Candacraig ‘Brave’ Livestream

    Kit Marsden

    , , ,

    One last chance to watch the full retelling of Marillion’s seminal prog concept album ‘Brave’ performed by Candacraig with a five-piece band… from the comfort of your own home!

    Click here to buy tickets for the livestream performance which you can watch online live on 30th December, or view the recording at a later date. I can’t wait to play this iconic material one more time with the Candacraig guys and their brilliant band.

  • Candacraig Presents ‘Brave’

    Candacraig Presents ‘Brave’

    Kit Marsden

    , , ,

    I will be joining up with Lincolnshire-based prog outfit Candacraig next month to play keys on three very special shows, retelling influential prog giants Marillion’s seminal concept album ‘Brave’, thirty years after its original release.

    To celebrate this incredible piece of work, Candacraig will be devoting the entire second half of these shows to a retelling of the story from the perspective of the girl on the bridge, 30 years later.

    Using projection and a full five piece band, Sharon and Martin will play a selection of their own songs in the first half, and then devote all of the second half of the show to Brave.

    The ‘Brave’ shows will be at 45 Live in Kidderminster on 10th October, at Southside in Lincoln on 17th October, and then at Manchester Academy 3 on 24th October. I shall look forward to seeing lots of prog fans there to celebrate ‘Brave’ with us!

  • Band Theft Audio

    Band Theft Audio

    Kit Marsden

    , ,
    Band Theft Audio

    I’m delighted to be joining the UK’s hottest event band Band Theft Audio as a keyboard player this year!

    Filling the gap between band and DJ, BTA provide the ultimate musical entertainment experience for your event. Musically focused on keeping heads nodding and feet moving, the BTA repertoire moves from dance, RnB, and hip-hop seamlessly to rock, funk, and pop to cater for all audiences.

    It’s the perfect opportunity to flex my synth and programming muscles whilst getting stuck into an immersive live performance guaranteed to leave audiences wanting more.

    I’ll be playing with BTA on a number of festivals and other events throughout the year, so keep an eye on the Calendar page and don’t miss the chance to come and check us out.

  • Why Does A Keys Player Need A Pedalboard?

    Why Does A Keys Player Need A Pedalboard?

    Kit Marsden

    ,

    This is something I get asked about from time-to-time… I know you don’t commonly see keyboard players using boards of effects pedals, like guitarists often do, but I have put a lot of thought into the setup I’m using on my gigs and I feel like this rig fits my workflow and my approach to my playing well.

    I enjoy using tactile pedals to add or remove layers of sound ‘in the moment’, shaping the tone of my playing to fit the contours of the song; I have tried to build something which allows me to achieve a wide range of sounds on the fly, whilst keeping load-in and setup easy and convenient.

    Check out the video for a full ‘rig rundown’ of the setup I’m using on my gigs at the moment.

    Click here for a full break-down on my custom rotary speaker speed-switcher pedal, as mentioned in the video.

  • Maggie May – The Rod Stewart Years

    Maggie May – The Rod Stewart Years

    Kit Marsden

    , ,
    The UK’s most prestigious Rod Stewart Tribute starring Rob Wright as Sir Rod Stewart, backed by his sensational live band.
    Maggie May, The Rod Stewart Years

    Covering a catalogue of Sir Rod’s chart-topping hits spanning a jaw-dropping 5 decades, including titles such as Handbags & Gladrags; Maggie May; You Wear It Well; I Don’t Want to Talk About It; This Old Heart of Mine; Sailing…

    This is a show like no other, dedicated to not only the music of Sir Rod but celebrating the life and story behind the man. A fantastic tribute to a living legend, Maggie May, The Rod Stewart Years is guaranteed to have you singing along and dancing in the aisles.

    I’m very proud that I will be playing keys on this exciting new production dedicated to the songs of Sir Rod Stewart, opening at Bath Forum on 6th September.

    Check the Calendar page for the full tour dates.

  • Candacraig At The Portland Arms

    Candacraig At The Portland Arms

    Kit Marsden

    , ,

    I’m very excited that I’ll be playing keys with Lincolnshire’s alt-folk duo Candacraig at The Portland Arms in Cambridge next weekend, on Sunday 26th February, showcasing songs from their debut album Thunder of Whispers.

    Doors are at seven o’clock with Candacraig going onstage at eight o’clock. Hope to see you there!

Kit Marsden // Musician