Kit Marsden // Musician

I specialise in percussion (drumkit, orchestral percussion and a variety of ethnic percussion) and keyboards (piano, electric piano, Hammond organ, synths, etc.); I work with a wide variety of different orchestras, bands and artists, spanning a large range of musical styles.

I play gigs and tours across the UK and abroad, and I play recording sessions for various producers – including ‘remote’ sessions in my own studio. I am also able to write and/or arrange music to commission – including songwriting projects; soundtracks for film, TV and theatre; advertising jingles; etc.

I offer private instrumental tuition, music theory coaching and music production workshops from beginner to advanced level, catering to the needs of individual students.

I started playing drums when I was five years old, and since then I have studied drumkit with Simon Dring, Dave Wickins, Jason Bowld, Craig Blundell and Ralph Salmins, and percussion with Ian Chopping, Sam Girling and Donal O’Brien.

I grew up around the piano, in a family of pianists, and I have been a pianist for as long as I can remember. I had lessons with Rory Marsden for over ten years – I passed Grade Eight Piano with Distinction in March 2008 and went on to study jazz piano with jazz specialist Peter Hayes.

I became a full-time musician in 2007, and began working in bands and orchestras playing gigs, as well as teaching from my home near Norwich. In 2008, I joined Witchers as a drummer and synth player. In 2011, I joined Sistema In Norwich (then known as In Harmony Norwich) as a percussion tutor.

In 2012 and 2013, I started working with synth pop duo Crystal Bats, playing gigs with them on keyboards alongside my tours on drums with singer/songwriter Axel Loughrey. I also joined the Music Arts Project team, based out of Wayland Academy in south Norfolk, working with BTEC Musical Theatre students alongside former West End stage dancer Danny Coates.

I am very proud to have been involved with PX Productions’ hugely successful ’90s dance show Ultra ’90s almost since its inception. In 2015, I was involved in the formation of Ultra ’90s Fresh – a spin-off line-up created to cope with the huge demand for booking the show. And in 2017, I was asked to run my own line-up of the show – and I became the musical director, keys player, male vocalist and band leader of 90s Jam.

In 2018 and 2019, I started MD-ing live shows for Jade MayJean (BBC’s The Voice), building a full audio-visual set from Jade’s debut album of original songs complete with fully-sequenced lighting cues and video. Jade’s band played the set with me as the onstage band leader at a string of festival shows and a slot at the O2 Academy in Islington, as well as the Christmas Lights switch-on in Ipswich town centre.

During lockdown I worked hard to develop my remote recording setup and streamline the workflow for remote studio clients. I taught myself video editing, and produced music videos for 90s Jam with Jade MayJean and others, as well as filming a lot of my piano practice for my students’ benefit. I also finished writing and recording my second solo record, the EP When The Autumn Comes, which was released in October 2020.

I was lucky enough to get back onstage as soon as we were able to play live events again, working with Sam Coe and Popwork, and playing private functions with the Listen Out Events collective – as well as returning to my regular shows with 90s Jam and the Willowspin Céilidh Band.

In 2023 I started working with True Story Productions, MDing their brand new touring show Maggie May – The Rod Stewart Years from the keyboards. We opened the show in summer 2023 and it has played in theatres across the UK to rave reviews. At the start of 2024 I joined Band Theft Audio on keys and synths, playing my first show with them at Leeds United Football Club’s Elland Road stadium at the start of February.

At the start of 2025 I was honoured to spend six weeks touring internationally with cult doom metal band Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats, as a keys player and backing vocalist on the live tour of their critically-acclaimed Nell’ Ora Blu concept album.

I have been extremely lucky to be supported by some wonderful companies. I’ve been a Pellwood Drumsticks player for many years, and I joined their artist roster early in my career – I am very grateful to Ivan and Vojtěch at Pellwood for being so welcoming to me right from the very start.

In 2020, I was proud to be invited to join Axis Percussion as an endorser. I have always loved the feel of direct drive pedals and the connection they give you to the instrument, so I am very thankful to Zed at Axis and I am delighted to have been welcomed on board by Zed and the Axis team.

Outside of my music work, I play table tennis in local leagues and national competitions, enjoying a highest-ever national ranking of 418 in 2024; I’m a big Formula 1 fan, and a supporter of Norwich City Football Cub; and I enjoy cooking, photography, and going to the gym. I am also involved in the ‘Right To Repair’ movement, campaigning for more sustainable electronics and household devices.

I am available for session work, recording or live, with bands, solo artists or orchestras, across the UK and abroad – for more details, please contact me.

Thanks for visiting, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!