Matt Stevens

I met Matt Stevens (1975) during the Resonance Festival in The Bedford in Londen in 2014. Not only Matt performed an acoustic sologig with the use of looping pedals, but he also did a gig with his band The Fierce & The Dead. The Bedford nearly lost its roof because of the phenomenal energy the band put into their performance. As a solo artist Matt made 4 instrumental albums up to the brilliant 2014's ‘Lucid’. Besides The Fierce & The Dead Matt Stevens is (since 2022)  also the guitarist in Tim Bowness's live band.

Stevens grew up in Rushden, Northamptonshire, England. He moved to London in the early 2000s.
His 2014 album Lucid, featured guest performances from Pat Mastelotto, Charlie Cawood and Jem Godfrey. 
In 2010, Matt co-founded The Fierce and the Dead^. The lineup features Stevens, alongside bassist and singer Kevin Feazey, guitarist Steve Cleaton, and drummer Stuart Marshall. Keyboard player Tom Hunt joined the band in 2024.

On September 26 - 2026 the Fierce and the Dead will release their brilliant new album : Regional Theater. You can read my review already on this website.

So it was time for a chat with this great guitar player.

Matt, congratulations on the really amazing new album! If you had to describe 'Regional Theatre' in a few words, what would they be and why?

Matt Stevens: “Thanks, I would say “Eclectic”, it’s probably the most diverse thing we’ve done, I can hear so many things we all love, Faith No More, King Crimson, Melvins, The Cure, Carcass, LCD Soundsystem, XTC, Celtic Frost. It’s more pop and more metal and still progressive in it’s own way. One song is in 11/8! “

What was the biggest source of inspiration for this specific album? Was there a particular moment, a book, or an event that sparked it?

“Lyrically its about the way we communicate in the modern world, it’s complicated! We’re connected and disconnected like never before.” 

The album is written by the band: How does the musical writing process usually go for you guys? Does a song originate from a jam session, or does it start at home with a snippet of text on a phone? Do you have a home studios?

“One of us brings in a riff and we jam on that and then we work on it in our home studios, Kev is the main person for production. We send each other phone notes all the time. We’ve done so much of that. Some of the stuff was written as far back as 2017 and some of it was written before Invisble World, back in 22. We’ve got a big pile of riffs and ideas. “

Matt, you also do other stuff like the work with Tim Bowness. And in the past you did solo work. How does that work for you and what equipment and instruments do you use?

“I really enjoy Tim’s band, I like his songs a lot, there is a magic to it, I use the same gear in all contexts, just a Les Paul type guitar, and some pedals, fuzz, delay and a big reverb, most of it is in the dynamics of the playing. Pushing it for the loud bits and really holding back on the quiet bits. It’s more about the way you play. My favorite guitar is a Les Paul Tribute. It’s a great guitar and it’s all over the new record, I got it cause I’ve got a bad back and it’s really light for a Gibson. 

Going back to the very beginning: what or who made you pick up an instrument? Did you have musical education?

Matt Stevens:”I wanted to be in Iron Maiden or Guns ’N Roses. I had lessons with a guy called Richard Beaumont who basically just showed me Mahavishnu stuff and I got really into that. Then I got into into indie rock, post rock, Radiohead, King Crimson, Carcass and if you mix that stuff up you get my style. Metal, jazz rock and jangly indie stuff. I can’t read music very well but I learned lots of advanced chord harmony. “

Many musicians combine their passion with other jobs or studies. What does your daily life look like when you are NOT working on music?

I have a day job I like, I’m lucky, most people don’t. I like being free to make any kind of music I want to make, I don’t have to choose music to make money, I can do what I like. At some point I’ll be able to stop, when I want to. I don’t want to ever be doing it for the wrong reasons. 

How do you find the balance between those side activities and the energy needed to make music?

“It’s really hard, and it’s getting harder as I get older. I have a family and elderly relatives. I’m not sure how long I can keep it up. “

Future & Dreams

What are your future plans? Can we expect albums or a tour with TFATD and others and maybe solo again?

“We’re on tour in October and November, I hope we can make one more album at least. The guys in the band are some of my closest friends and I love playing with them. We’re very lucky to have an amazing supportive audience. I can’t see myself doing solo stuff again but I’m playing some shows with Tim Bowness next year. I don’t have a plan further than a new TFATD album in the next few years. 

I’d love to do a big 20th anniversary Fierce And The Dead gig. I’d like to play more festivals and play outside the UK, but it’s so hard now. I’d like to play some metal festivals, I think that would work. I’m just really grateful for everything thing we’ve done.”

Which artist would you love to have a cup of tea with or dive into the studio with?

“I’m not sure. I’m more interested in finishing my own story at this point. I’d like to do some more recording with Tim Bowness and it’d be cool to work on some No-Man stuff. “

I ask everyone: what is the strangest or funniest thing you have ever experienced during a performance or in the studio? 

Stevens;” An alarm went off at a solo show so I improvised a song around it, building loops, that was cool. 

Last question: which hidden gem (a relatively unknown band, artist, film, or book) do you think my readers really need to discover?

“Listen to Bobby Conn, he should be bigger than Bowie. And I just did some gigs with Bruce Soord, he’s a talented man.”