Matt started playing the EEb bass at the age of 7, playing in the majority of the local Sandwell bands in the West Midlands. As he grew taller he was given the chance to opportunity to play the BBb bass and as a youngster and always thinking bigger is better he accepted not thinking of the consequences of having to pull around an instrument that weighed more than him. It was whilst playing with the Sandwell Youth Band that he was scouted by the Flowers Band, now known as the PolySteel band and asked to join in May 1996 at the age of 16. His first contest with the band was the Grand Shield and it only took another year after Matt registered before he experienced his first contest win to qualify for the British Open.

Matt stayed with the band till 2005 taking breaks to play with Sovereign Brass and The Staffordshire Band before he was asked to join Fodens, thus ensuring the common trend of having a ‘Brummy’ in the bass section after the departure of Brett and Phil. It has since being a member of the bass team with Fodens that has taken Matt to a number of major concert venues in the UK, tours to Switzerland and the Isle of Man and Ireland.

Banding has always been a hobby for Matt and during the rest of his time he is an IT consultant travelling hundreds of miles around the country fro Swansea across to London and back up to Carlisle. This makes for a hectic week before a contest!