From London to Los Angeles, Marsh capitalizes on a “happy accident” and takes Aria to the next level.
If you’re a fan of progressive house, you’ll find it impossible to switch on a streaming app without hearing a track by Marsh. Since stepping into the scene in the early 2010s, Tom Marshall has been at the forefront of the melodic house surge, bringing a looming and emotional element to his work.
His soaring signature arpeggios and creation of atmospheric soundscapes across three studio albums and countless releases has led Marsh to be one of the most recognized faces of the revered Anjunadeep label. His monster 2020 hit, “Come Together“ with Nox Vahn, remains an anthem for dance music lovers with millions of streams on Spotify and a freshly released ambient revisit. Marsh is a master of providing solace and restoration through his art.
This Fall, Marsh expands on his newest creative project, bringing his Aria live show to the United States and Canada. After two incredibly successful shows in London and Manchester, Marsh will play seven major venues in North America, with a highly anticipated performance at Fonda Theater in Los Angeles.
Right on the heels of the tour announcement, we caught up with Marsh to chat about his creative process, how his family inspires him, upcoming collaborations, and much more. Read on for the full conversation, stream Floodlights while you do, and grab tickets to his upcoming show at The Fonda.
Stream Marsh – Floodlights on Spotify
First of all, congratulations on the release of your new single, “Floodlights.” You recorded the official video for the track on a steam train around the Welsh Highland Railway during your recent livestream. What sparked the idea for that location?
The train stream was definitely one of the most far-fetched ideas I’ve had. I often get these wild ideas to pitch to my wonderful team — but boy, was this one a long shot! The railway has some unique connections to the formation of my love of dance music and has many family ties, so it felt like a great place to shoot a stream.
I grew up in the UK, traveling a lot by train, and I’d spend every journey gazing out of the window at beautiful scenery while listening to dance music. This was a formative time for me musically as my love for dance music, particularly trance was cemented in place. Personally, music is given a whole new depth and dimension when paired with beautiful scenery.
Also, the “Marshall” side of my family are mad about the railway. I spent a lot of my childhood driving around the UK trainspotting with my dad, and my grandad, John Marshall, is the author of many railway books. My uncle drove steam engines on the Severn Valley Railway, and my dad also spent a large part of his career working for Southern Railway as a conductor.
Your mom was also aboard that train, dancing along the way. What does it feel like to share your passion with your mom and watch her enjoy herself the entire time?
It means the world to me to see the music I have written resonating with my mum. She loves dance music and I credit a lot of my love for this genre to my mum’s taste in music. Growing up, we would listen to all of my mum’s favorite dance music in the car. She’s one of the first to listen to my early demos and drafts and is a really good point of feedback to tell me which ideas are the strongest!
It’s thanks to my mum that “All Night Long” was finished, and she was such an inspiration for “Heartbreak,” the tune she is dancing to on the train. I finished “Heartbreak” in the attic of my England home when I was touring in the summer of 2023, and my mum helped me select the bassline and the main melodies. Her enthusiasm for the track was infectious and encouraged me to finish the record.
Speaking of “Heartbreak,” after seeing you and Leo Wood performing that track live in London, many fans in North America are excited to experience your Aria show — especially in Los Angeles, where you’re playing the Fonda Theater. How are you preparing for a performance at one of the biggest hubs for dance music?
Aria is a Marsh show built around the concept of live vocalists performing at the shows. This was something that came about almost as a happy accident at my Electric Brixton show in London in 2023, where Leo Wood joined me on stage to sing three of our songs live. When she was on stage, the energy was something else entirely. Up to that point, I’d never felt such a powerful feeling, and I had to do it again.
That was the beginning of Aria. We’ve leveled up production, stage design, and visuals, and Leo Wood and ALLKNIGHT (real name Jodie Knight) have been traveling with me to perform their hits live on stage! It’s been such a memorable experience. I’m pinching myself to be bringing Aria to the Fonda, which is such a legendary venue in LA. This will be the best show I have performed in LA yet.
You’ve noted Anjunadeep Explorations as your “favorite festival, hands down.” What makes that festival special to you and stand out from the others you play?
Anjunadeep Explorations is definitely one of my favorite festivals in the world. I can say that as a longtime fan of the label, having attended many of their first shows growing up and performing at some of the most iconic Open Air shows in the last few years, Explorations is the ultimate Anjuna experience! I think there’s something to be said about how much of a journey it is to actually get to the festival location.
This cuts out a lot of the surface-level fans and creates a space for the most dedicated Anjuna fans. The fans that come are so passionate about this specific lane of melodic, emotional, progressive house music. It’s also an incredible place to meet people and make new, like-minded friends. I made so many friends in 2019, many of whom are my best friends today!
We’re all clamoring for your drum and bass set from Anjunadeep Explorations, and I know you were inspired early in your career by various DnB acts. Can you share your thoughts about the current resurgence of that genre back into the mainstream?
I guess I didn’t notice that drum and bass had fallen out of the mainstream. It’s certainly not as popular here in the US as back in the UK, but it’s exciting to see some of the biggest headliners at EDC and Electric Forest playing drum and bass in their sets. I hope it continues to grow in popularity here in the States. I’d love to go out to more DnB shows myself and enjoy hearing it at more festivals where I’m performing. I got to enjoy some of Dimension’s set at Electric Forest this year after I’d finished playing!
Let’s dig a bit deeper before we let you go. Social media’s impact on dance music culture and its community has been profound. How do you balance your work as an artist with your efforts to stay connected with fans around the world?
I have a wonderful team who help me curate social media posts and dig through a lot of the wonderful videos and content my fans send me after shows. It’s very difficult to find the balance. The music is the most essential piece to the whole machine, so I try to bury myself away in the studio where possible — but it is also essential to be present online, interacting with the incredible fan base that I have!
Finally, you’ve had major hits with artists like Nox Vahn, Simon Doty, and Dosem. What artist or artists would you like to work with before the end of the year?
I actually have a ton of collaborations in the works with some of my absolute heroes in the scene! I wish I could say more, but I will be teasing lots of it on tour!
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