Performing

  • 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

    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!

  • 90s Jam At EGO Perth

    90s Jam At EGO Perth

    Photos from the recent 90s Jam show at EGO nightclub in Perth, by Cristian Shearer-Felipe.

  • Jade MayJean At The Mesken Hutton

    Jade MayJean At The Mesken Hutton

    Some wonderful photos by Jae Storer from last week’s chilled-out restaurant set at The Mesken Hutton, accompanying Jade MayJean.

    I loved working in this lovely, atmospheric venue, playing stripped-back covers and jazz standards alongside such a brilliant singer as Jade.

  • Really lovely to have such a glowing review from Chris Farlie – writing for w21Music – of the recent set I played on drums with Sam Coe at Buckle & Boots festival in Stockport. Chris seems to have been particularly taken with the volume and intensity of my drumming, as that enjoys several specific mentions in his article!

    The Truth · Image by Drew Burnett for w21Music.

    With a limited sized band today would not be the full “Comeback Queen” wall of sound experience but make no mistake this would be one of the most explosive 30 minutes that the Paddock Stage would see all weekend. Commencing with a thunderous drum intro and some heavy bass, the was the start of “Hard Time”, it was deliciously noisy and full of attitude – surely that drum kit would never be hit as hard throughout the whole weekend!

    Chris Farlie for w21Music

    I always enjoy that I get to play so ‘big’ when I work for Sam, as she and her producer Kevin both like to feel a lot of weight in the groove. The set we did at Buckle & Boots on the Paddock Stage was the first time I had got to play this material since Christmas, so it was a lot of fun to be let loose on it again.

    The gentle keyboard intro to “The Truth” gave little indication of what was to come, This ballad came with drumming that was heart stoppingly loud and probably should have a health warning attached to it. All the while Sam laid down a vocal that veered between being breathy and quiet to being expressive as she wandered up and down the scales in impressive style.

    Chris Farlie for w21Music

    My next appearances with Sam Coe and her band are Saturday 2nd October for HarFest at the Norfolk Showground, and then at The Waterfront Norwich on Sunday 14th November.

  • I had the great privilege of playing drums for Sam Coe on a closed video session conducted under COVID restrictions at EPIC Studios just before Christmas. The video shoot was a pre-record of a live performance for the Americana Music Association‘s January awards show night, which this year was an entirely online event.

    With the AMA Awards now having been broadcast, EPIC Studios have published the full length performance on their YouTube channel this week, and I am very excited to be able to share that with you here. I was really proud to get to be a part of this, and I think the look of the video and the sound we achieved with the drums and with the band overall is absolutely first class.

  • On Friday night I was honoured to have live versions of two of my songs included in an online streamed performance for World Stage Live. The gig was broadcast on Facebook and YouTube, and included three other artists’ performances, in the UK and in Kenya.

    The full videos of my performances are available here, for anybody who missed it.

  • Gigging Through Coronavirus

    Gigging Through Coronavirus

    The past few weeks have been tough. The government says that jobs in the arts and entertainment sectors are ‘not viable’. In a huge slap-in-the-face to the thousands of artists, performers and technicians who have dedicated years of their lives to making their craft their career, they suggest we get ‘better jobs’.

    Plenty of people have written more thoroughly and more eloquently than I could about this tremendous insult to our industry, and the impact this sort of attitude is having on all our lives. On a personal level, I have felt angry and alone, misunderstood and taken for granted. It’s been a difficult time.

    But this weekend I was on the road, gigging with 90s Jam for the first time since the beginning of March. Even just a couple of days before, I was convinced the gigs would not in fact go ahead as more and more restrictions on events were announced during last week. At times over the past week, it has felt like the government were deliberately making arts jobs ‘unviable’ by placing as many obstacles as possible in the way of us being able to do our jobs, whilst not actually locking venues back down again.

    But go ahead they did! And they were cathartic, and life-affirming, and an all-round brilliant experience. A wonderful, timely reminder of why we do what we do.

    Our audiences – half-capacity, socially-distanced, and unable to dance or sing along to their favourite tunes – showed their appreciation for what we do just by showing up at all. But also by clapping, stamping and banging on tables. Feeling that atmosphere in the room, that determination to enjoy the night despite all the current restrictions, was a phenomenal experience. During our encore on Friday night, I admit I got a little emotional as I played the intro on the piano.

    Gigs might not look normal right now. Everyone is struggling, and we all have to adapt, and make allowances. But my experiences this weekend have shown me that live music is valued. For the past couple of weeks, I have felt like I have been shouting into a gale – I have felt like no one cares about people who work in music, no one understands us, and the people in power who make decisions are quite happy to let our industry sink without trace. It’s been a little hard not to take that personally.

    This weekend, all the people who bought tickets, all the people who clapped, all the people who spoke to me after the show and said how brilliant it was to have live entertainment back in venues again… Those people showed me that music doesn’t only matter to musicians but that music is for everyone, and that we are not alone in our fight to save our industry from drowning. People want live music; they are voting with their feet, and making the opinions known. They don’t want us all to just throw in the towel, retrain and get office jobs; they want gigs back just as much as we do. That realisation is what has helped me sleep tonight.

  • 90s Jam Statement

    90s Jam Statement

    The following is the official Covid-19 related update from the live 90s dance music show of which I am the musical director, 90s Jam.

    All postponements, cancellations or other changes to gig dates as a result of Covid-19 are being updated on the Calendar page daily.

  • Another line video from Sam Coe’s album launch night, which I played keys for back in November.

    Comeback Queen is the title track of the album, and was the closing song of the night at Epic Studios. Such a fun piece of music to play, and a wonderful group of musicians to play it with! We all got a chance to go a little mad at the end of this one, too…

    Video shot and edited by Sam Thurlow.

Kit Marsden // Musician