The Musicians Home is a multi purpose recording, education, production and composing space designed to facilitate musicians working in London's independent music communities.
Based in Blackheath in South East London, The Musicians Home offers affordable recording sessions, bass, drums and rock band lessons and music technology and theory lessons.
Its ethos is inclusiveness and equality in a nurturing, performance enhancing environment, with all the comforts and facilities a musician's home can offer.
Recording
Exterior
Rehearsal
Interior
Recording Production Performance Education Composition
Recording Production Performance Education Composition
Resident musician:Matt Lloyd
I am a bass player/drummer, producer/recording engineer, songwriter/arranger and music educator. I have recently graduated from The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (University of East London) with a first class honours degree in music performance, specialising in bass.
I was a founding member of critically acclaimed Folk/Bluegrass band Southern Tenant Folk Union and am currently playing bass and drums in cosmic country band The Magic City Trio and indie pop band James McKean and The Blueberry Moon.
I have been a music educator for over thirty years, working mainly at Plumstead Manor secondary school. I've taught BTEC Music Performance, Music Technology A level, and bass, drums and rock band to years seven to thirteen. Other notable work as a music educator include being a Steinberg registered trainer of Cubase at Metro New Media (Guildhall University) and adult education work as the writer and tutor of London Open College Network accredited music access courses.
BBC Maida Vale
Studios
...how low can you go?
Electric bass
My Sonor AQ2
Bass player Drummer Educator Songwriter Producer
Live performer
"Live music is better"-Neil Young
I have played at many of London's iconic independent music venues including The Forum, Dingwalls, King's Place, The Green Note, The Windmill and What's Cookin'.
Festivals played at include Belladrum (Inverness), Open House (Belfast), Maverick (Suffolk), and The Summertyne Americana Festival (Gateshead).
I have toured throughout the UK, Ireland and parts of mainland Europe and played on many national and regional live radio sessions.
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Past live performances
Southern Tenant Folk Union
James McKean and The Blueberry Moon
Selected live performances Sept 2023-2024
The Hackney Hill Pickers
The Magic City Trio
Flakey Jake
The Paradiso (Amsterdam) The Country soul sessions The Green Note The Forum Dingwalls.
Wild At Heart (Berlin)
Grassroots Greenwich
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Greenwich has a rich tradition of music artists associated with the borough. Squeeze, Shampoo, Swamz and Tinie Tempah are all from the area and Blur (who used to live in the Ashburnham triangle) and Dire Straits (whose breakthrough single Sultans of Swing was allegedly written about a music pub in the borough) are all well known artists that have strong links to the Greenwich music scene.
There are many small venues and music pubs in the borough of Greenwich. At the moment (early 2025) the area is undergoing a bit of a renaissance and more places are opening up for artists and bands to go out and play.
The types of venues and music styles are varied, ranging from rock and pop cover bands in lively local pubs to original folk and blues artists in more formal surroundings.
This page aims to document the area’s current music scene to act as a resource for musicians who want to know where they can play and to promote the venues to people who want to enjoy live music in the borough of Greenwich.
This section of the website is an ongoing project and will be edited when needed. If you promote live music at a venue in Greenwich please get in touch with details. There is no charge.
The Morden Arms. 1 Brand Street SE10 8SP
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​​The Morden Arms is a local pub tucked away from the heart of Greenwich just off Greenwich South Street.
It’s a wet pub (no food) and full of character, with live music every Friday and Saturday starting at 9pm and Sunday starting at 4pm. There is also an open mic night every 1st Thursday of the month.
The music is mostly rock, country and folk, (with some funk, soul and jazz bands) who mainly play covers but you also get acts that play original material as well.
The musicians are always treated very well at ‘The Morden’ and the crowd is mainly older but with a mix of all types of people that are very enthusiastic and appreciative.
There is no stage but the pub has its own P.A. There is no entrance fee but the bar staff take a pot around for the audience to donate to the band. The pub also pays the band a flat fee.
Listings are on the pub’s Facebook page.
The Pelton Arms. 23-25 Pelton Road SE10 9PQ
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The Pelton Arms is a backstreet pub in East Greenwich that is an established music pub. Artists such as Paul Heaton (Housemartins and Beautiful South singer/ songwriter) and Glen Tilbrook of Squeeze have played at the pub. Dennis Greaves of Nine Below Zero hosts a blues jam on the last Sunday of every month.
The pub has music on Friday and Saturday starting at 9pm and Sunday starting at 5pm.
Entrance is free but there is a small surcharge on the price of drinks while bands are playing.
The majority of songs played at the pub are covers but you also get people playing original music.
The crowd is a mix of people with a lot of locals and regular gig goers.
There is a smallish stage. Music at ‘The Pelton’ stops at 11pm but on Friday and Saturday the pub is licensed until 1am.
The pub has its own P.A. and pays bands a flat fee.
Listings are on the pub’s dot com website.
The Old Mill. 1 Old Mill Road SE18 1QG.
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The Old Mill is situated on Plumstead Common next to Plumstead Manor School. It’s a busy locals pub with a big backyard and a sizeable separate outbuilding for functions.The pub has its own P.A. and drum kit. Entry is free and there is a flat fee for bands.
The gigs are every other Saturday from 9pm. Mostly the bands play covers with a mix of genres but also sometimes play original material. There is an open mic on the 2nd Thursday of the month.
Listings are on the pub’s Facebook page.
The Lord Herbert. 47 Herbert Road SE18 3SZ.
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‘The Herbert’ is a lively pub with a broad mix of people. It was voted number 14 in Time Out’s Best London Pubs list 2023. They have live bands most Saturdays and an open mic on the first and third Thursday of the month. Both start around 9pm.
The bands stop about 11pm but the pub is open till midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. The pub is dog friendly, welcoming and inclusive.
The bands mostly play covers with 70s punk being a firm favourite. The pub has a P.A. and bands play on a raised area that would normally be used for seating. Entry is free and the bands are paid a flat fee.
Listings are on the pub’s Facebook page.
The Railway. 16 Blackheath Village SE3 9LE
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The Railway is just a few yards from Blackheath Station and is a large, busy pub with live bands playing every Saturday.
The music is a mixture of genres with a lot of soul and disco bands as well as the usual rock covers.
There is a mixed crowd with young and old and the music starts at 9pm. The pub has a license until 1am at the weekend.
Entry is free and the bands are paid a flat fee.
Listing can be found at therailwayblackheath.co.uk
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The Royal Standard. 44 Vanbrugh Park SE3 7JQ
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'The Standard' is on the edge of Blackheath near Greenwich Park and has a number of buses that serve the area.
It's a large pub that has music playing most weekends but sometimes it will be DJs playing soul, funk, jazz and rare groove.
The pub has it's own P.A. The live music is a mixture of genres, with covers and original bands and even sometimes piano singalongs and large jazz bands.
Entry is free and the pub pays bands a flat fee.
Listings can be found at royalstandardblackheath.co.uk
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Songwriting and Composition
At the moment I have original songs being recorded and performed by cosmic country band The Magic City Trio and post punk art rockers Good Morning, Midnight.
As a composer for film, tv, adverts etc. I'm at home adapting pop, rock and dance music styles to fit a brief as much as big orchestral scores.
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Music For Games, TV and Film
Lamborghini Revuelto YouTube Advert
The 'future of car manufacture' realised with heavy use of music technology.
Assassin's Creed Trailer
A 'filmic' orchestral score.
Hammerson TV Advert
A shopping centre of goods and products
Original Songs and Arrangements
A sometimes affectionate, sometimes sideways look
at how writers and directors portray drugs on screen.
Written for post punk psych rockers Good Morning, Midnight.
A multi instrument backed list song.
Written for cosmic country band The Magic City Trio.
A piece for the orchestral string family with
guest vocalist Sonia Cassius Clay.
Recording and production
My recording/production credits include tracks released on the One Little Indian subsidiary Clean Up Records by left field trip hoppers Balagan and the Straight Ahead track Everything Is Gonna Blow, featuring trumpeter Roger Gosling and South African jazz guitarist Lucky Ranku.
Released album recordings from my home include the eponymous debut album by UK Bluegrass stalwarts Monroe's Revenge, featuring Dave Plane on guitar and vocals and Jo Hymas (Hayseed Dixie) on mandolin.
The Musicians Home is able to record a full band simultaneously (including drums) and is available to hire for recording/production sessions at affordable rates (starting at £130 per day).
If you are looking for someone to record bass or drums remotely for tracks you are working on please get in touch.
Some of my recording equipment is listed at the bottom of this section.
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Recording
LIve room
Production
Sound engineer
Past recordings from The Musicians Home
Muddy Waters
Monroe's Revenge
Let Me Wipe The Tears From Your Eyes
Southern Tenant Folk Union
Selected recordings from The Musicians Home 2024
Good Morning, Midnight
Good Morning, Midnight
On Our Backs
Good Morning, Midnight
Slow Train
The Hackney Hillpickers
Don't Give Your Heart To A Rambler
The Hackney Hillpickers
We've Lost It All
The Magic City Trio
Austrian Audio AKG Shure Fender
Gallien Kruger Mark Bass Guild
Educator
I can teach online or in my dedicated teaching space at The Musicians Home, with full backline and music technology facilities.
My teaching style is informal and encouraging with an emphasis placed on making students feel comfortable enough to explore techniques and ideas at their own pace, in their own way.
I am happy to slant lessons towards practical musicianship or music theory but I believe that both are equally important to understand how music works and to progress independently.
I teach bass to degree level, beginner and intermediate drums, ensemble lessons and music technology lessons, with advanced programming and recording techniques.
I've taught all ages but most of my experience is in secondary school education and I love helping to develop the skills of young musicians.
As I still teach in schools two days a week I am able to help with GCSE, BTEC, A level and Trinity Rockschool music courses. I especially enjoy teaching in ensemble situations when preparing students for their GCSE, BTEC and Trinity Rockschool performance exams or in an informal setting where we can explore how bands work in a more relaxed way.
I am DBS checked and have full public liability insurance.
I am available for affordable lessons (£20 for 45 minutes). Please email mattelloyd@hotmail.com or call 07944519177 to discuss requirements.
My year 9 Plumstead Manor band performing Rex Orange County's Sunflower at the Blackheath Concert Halls
Learning as a band is a great way of learning your instrument and how to play and interact with other musicians in an ensemble. It also spreads the cost of your lesson, making it more affordable for all involved.
