From the small but thriving Bluegrass scene in London, the London Bluegrass Band emerged in 2021 from its roots in sessions and jams across the city.

The collective, dedicated to showcasing and fostering the Bluegrass scene in the capital, is made from a diverse, international group of musicians who love Bluegrass old and new, and love sharing it! This line-up includes Jack Baker on mandolin and vocals, Matt Kendall on guitar and vocals, Chris Lord on banjo and Pete Thomas on double bass.

Jack Baker is the UK's foremost Monroe-style mandolin picker and the band's undisputed expert when it comes to Bluegrass history. In 2015, he won a scholarship to attend the Monroe Mandolin Camp in Nashville and outside of the London Bluegrass Band he plays with his band, The Vanguards, another well-known band on the European Bluegrass scene. Jack is a regular at London Bluegrass sessions and is the closest thing you can get to Bill Monroe this side of the pond.

Originally from Canada and having spent many years in the States, Matt Kendall finally landed in the heart of London. Talent like his doesn't go unnoticed for long and he soon became a fixture on the London Bluegrass scene, with his virtuosic guitar solos and prodigious repertoire of classic Bluegrass songs. Matt has taken tuition from such greats as Bryan Sutton and Chris Eldridge and has honed his own distinctive style that always wows audiences!

Chris Lord has been on the rise for a while now; having toured with Emmy-nominated US band Gangstagrass and played alongside such American talents as Maddie Witler (of Della Mae and The Lonely Heartstring Band) and Kathleen Parks (of Twisted Pine and the Boston Symphony Orchestra), he is fast becoming the go-to player for Bluegrass banjo in the UK. His play style incorporates both traditional Scruggs and Stanley picking with more contemporary melodic styles and he loves nothing more than showing people what banjo can do.

Speaking of go-to musicians, Pete Thomas is one of the busiest bass players around - and for good reason! Pete graduated from the Newcastle College of Performing Arts and cut his teeth on jazz music, playing with bands such as the London Django Collective and PM Warson. Pete has also been playing Bluegrass for well over a decade now, with his band The Vanguards and also more recently with Paul Armer and the Dawn Chorus. No one has a more solid rhythm and he elevates any performance he's a part of.

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