Massive Ego is a British musical group that was formed in 1996 by singer Marc Massive and Andy J Thirwall. The band's sound and image have evolved significantly over the years.
They initially started with a Eurodance, Hi-NRG style, often releasing covers of 80s tracks.
Over time, they transitioned to a darker electronic sound, gaining popularity in the goth-industrial scene. Their music now often explores themes of depression, anxiety, death, suicide, love, sex, and vampirism.
The consistent member throughout the band's history has been frontman Marc Massive. Other notable members have included Oliver Frost (who later became Marc's partner and contributed to production and songwriting), Lloyd Price, and Scot Collins.
In 2022, Massive Ego announced they were disbanding due to health issues and personal circumstances. However, they made a surprise return in late 2024/early 2025 with a new lineup, including former Rosetta Stone guitarist Porl Young, and new music.
Their discography includes several full-length albums (such as "Beautiful Suicide" and "Church for the Malfunctioned"), compilation albums, EPs, and singles. "I Idolize You" is often cited as one of their most popular tracks.
Massive Ego has a diverse legacy, having navigated different genres and line-up changes while maintaining a distinct identity, particularly with Marc Massive's charismatic presence and evocative lyrics.
Marc kindly took some time out to answer a few questions for Revival Synth and its followers.
Enjoy!
Q. How and when did it all begin for Massive Ego, and how did the four of you first
come together, and what made you click musically—or even spiritually?
A. 1996 saw our first release and live shows. It was a very different beast back then,
coming out of the New Romantic revival scene named Romo, by the Melody Maker
journalist Simon Price. It’s 30 years next year, and in that time, there have been a lot of
line-up changes, but we’ve been pretty steady with our line-up now for the last couple of
years. I think because we all come from different musical backgrounds, yet appreciate
that the band has a certain sound that seems to work in the current configuration. For
me, it has to be about camaraderie, which was lacking in previous line-ups.
Q. What artists or bands have inspired your sound?
A. Mine have been primarily Duran Duran, but of course, there are many great artists
from that period. I always like to experience new sounds and bands, and I have quite an
eclectic taste these days. Everything from XTR Human to Public Image Ltd to Marilyn
Manson to Brian Eno.
Q. Bands often collaborate on songwriting, with various members contributing to
the melody, lyrics, and instrumentation. What is the process for you guys?
A. The boys make the music, and I’ll sit with an early demo version and hope that the
lyric ideas come flooding in. If it’s going to happen, it usually comes fairly quickly,
whereas if I ponder too long, or do different versions, it often comes back to the original
idea, and then it’s a process of cleaning up the vocals ready to take into the studio. The
guys will keep tweaking and adding sounds whilst I’m in that writing mode, and often at
the point we record in the studio, there are still last-minute sounds and ideas added.
Q. Your new single, ‘Hit The Kerb Running’ has the early punk element
incorporated into the track, but it also has a personal element included in the
lyrics. Are these your own experiences or for everyone in general?
A. Very much written from a personal point of view. The whole album and all tracks
feature lyrics about finding yourself after a fall, looking after your mental well-being, but
fighting back and getting back on track. So the theme is positive even if the original
experiences that formed these lyrics weren’t. I go very into the idea of bettering myself
as a spiritual being, and by that I don’t mean religious ideology, I mean being grounded
and close with nature, reading anything that nurtures positivity, and generally working on
myself to be better and to avoid ever falling into the black hole I did a couple of years
ago, when everything was off the table for a while, and that included living. But writing
these new songs has been the creative drive that I needed to get back to, something I
felt I was capable of doing, but doing it on my terms this time around. I love that the track
has a dark wave/punk vibe going on. Eclectic as ever.
Q. Is the single from a new album?
A. Yes, we’ve been recording as we go along, so before each single release, we’ve often
just got it to the stage of mastering before it comes out, so very much working on the fly,
which is not without it’s fraught moments, especially when trying to orchestrate videos
for every single. The current industry model suggests five singles, and then the album
comes out. We’ll be releasing our fourth single on 24th July, but are still finishing off a
few songs for the album. Work in progress.
Q. 2026 celebrates 30 years of Massive Ego. Do you see your music as a reflection
of your collective growth, or is it more of a time capsule?
A. It’s a strange history, really, certainly not straightforward, but then bands that have
been around for a long time are never not complex. Because of the constant line-up
changes, I do regret not having travelled the journey with the same people, sharing the
same experiences and growing older together. But then, in the next breath, I feel lucky to
have worked with many gifted people over the years who have allowed the music to
develop and be as eclectic as it is. New influences bring new directions and keep it
fresh. Bandmates have their own dreams, ideas, other projects, lifestyles, and family
situations that don’t always allow for 100% commitment to a band that they didn’t
originate, so sometimes it feels like I’m flying my own flag, rather than being a united
front.
Q. Do you have anything specific planned for your 30th anniversary celebrations?
A. I think the way it’s going with the album recording, it might be that we release it early
next year, which ties rather nicely into the 30-year thing. We were toying with the idea of
a small European tour, but nothing concrete is in the works. Again, it goes back to the
fact that I very much have to feel like everything and everyone is onboard with any ideas
that get suggested, and I have to be very aware of my mental health after the breakdown
I had in 2022.
Q. What’s been your most defining moment so far as a group, either creatively or
emotionally?
A. I’d say signing to Out Of Line Music in 2015 in Germany was what reignited a band
that had run out of ideas before that. Or rather, I’d run out of steam by that point, and
sending off a demo CD to them of some new material with a darker sound was like a
last-ditch attempt at seeing if music was worth carrying on with. To finally have some
proper industry interest was the spark I needed at that point, and certainly from a writing
and creative point of view, I think we stepped up to the mark at that point.
Q. What part of your journey has been the hardest to express musically, and why?
A. I’d say the period from 2000 was a difficult time. I wasn’t writing, I was doing dance
cover versions of 80s bands, performing at Pride festivals, the only saving grace of that
time was the friendships and fun I found with my fellow bandmates, then Steady (RIP)
and Deana (Dean Bright, one time member of Dead Or Alive). They made it bearable,
but there was too much drama in that niche gay scene of cover bands, and I’d lost my
identity around that time.
Q. Has the band ever gone through a phase where things almost fell apart? What
brought you back together?
A. You bet! My breakdown, and coming close to suicide as a result, was a place I never
want to revisit, and I actively self check myself and situations using the tools I have at
my disposal, meditation, a sense of spirit looking out for me, running, mindfulness and all
those other wonderful ‘self-help’ strategies some people might call ‘woo woo’. Not for
me, it saved my life literally. I’m done with discussing the whos, whys, and whens of
what caused the breakdown, but it was music-related, and from people with an agenda.
Part of my therapy has been about writing everything down, and I do morning pages
daily, where all those thoughts and feelings go, and that has seen a flourish of a new
passion forming and a plan to write my memoir, where I will no doubt unburden myself of
all that angst.
Q. How do you balance nostalgia and innovation in a genre that’s so rooted in
both?
A. I don’t think we’re the type of band that can adopt whatever the latest trend is on
social media, and endlessly talk out of our arses about it in the name of content creation.
They say you got to be authentic, but that’s not what I see from some of my peers, fake
as f**k, and it’s not something I want to be aligned with. I’m at peace with my decision
not to throw myself back into that insidious vat of self-promotion needed to keep your
likes, shares and follows up, it’s a rat race. I was competing on that stage before my
breakdown, but after that situation, your priorities in life change. Of course, I post the
odd single release, new video link, etc, that is the baseline effort required to promote
music. But there’s no chance in hell I’m going to be scheduling content and posts a
week in advance. And accept, that’s why our engagement might have stagnated. As long
as I keep coming up with new videos and music that makes me happy, then that’s where
my priorities are now. The recent singles videos are a good reference regarding
nostalgia and innovation. I’m not anti AI, but I much prefer trying to find an alternative
‘old school’ way of achieving, say, a special effect as an example. I could have used an
app to animate the angel Dixie from our (My) Death Song video, but I’ve always loved
the old masters of model stop motion animation, the likes of Wilis O’Brien, Ray
Harryhausen, so it was only natural for me to animate Dixie, in camera, as she moved
inch by inch at 24fps. It has an enchanting, if unearthly, feel to it that an App or AI
doesn’t have for me. Plus, our budget limitations just don’t allow for anything too
innovative, so we are kept in check by those constraints. Plus, I love making pop videos,
short films, and arty shizzle! So I like to stay hands-on with it. I’m thinking of setting up a
little business of making videos for other bands, that’s how much I love it.
Q. Marc..I watched some live footage of the band, and your stage presence,
persona, and outfit look awesome. Is it true you’ve stripped back on that
look....and why?
A. Sadly, he became a necessary victim of the need to start afresh and change the
aspects of my life that didn’t work for me anymore. I saw him as another person, really,
he had been around for like 20+ years, so it was the right time to give him a well-earned
rest. I get that it’s a risk to kill off something that had become so associated with the
band, but I’d also like to think I’m given some kudos for changing things up at this point
in my life. I certainly don’t need to hide behind him anymore or use him as a crutch for
my insecurity fears. He’s not going to be completely forgotten about, though, as I’m
working on an idea that might need his involvement.
Q. How do you translate your studio sound to a live setting?
A. We have live synths, electric drums and guitars alongside my live vocals, with the
bare minimum on backing track. I’m not tech-minded, and rely on the boys for working all
that stuff out, but I understand the basics, like I have my lyric, set list iPad set up with me
as a failsafe for me forgetting words, which being 56 years of age can happen frequently,
but that’s my only assistance, I don’t use any of those pre-programmed vocal effects that
can be triggered live, or auto-tune (maybe I should), but I do rely on my in-ear monitor
which our beautiful and generous fans crowd funded for me a few years back. 1k is still a
lot of money, and a luxury item I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for their kindness. I remember
feeling terribly professional the first time I used it.
Q. What’s been your favourite live gig so far and why?
A. One individual gig is tricky, but the first tour support for Blutengel in 2016 was pretty
impressive for me. It was all properly done, sleeping on nightliners with the band,
catering at venues, massive audiences and venues, a real leap from low-fi to high. And
it’s that tour where we were able to instantly connect with their impressive, hardcore fan
base. We must have done something right, as we were asked back for another tour a
few years later.
Q. Do you improvise at all on stage, or is everything pretty locked in?
A. Song-wise wise it’s all pretty mapped out. I’m not very good with last-minute changes
to set lists. Performance-wise, it’s pretty free, I often go off on little rambles when
chatting with the audience, something Olly from the band calls my ‘Northern Comedian’
act...I come over all Peter Kay very easily, not in the literal sense. A few years back,
we’d often have tech issues on stage, due to one of the band members' laptops being
over full with stuff that he didn’t clear off, because if he did, we’d lose a lot of the
programs and sounds that his DAW needed for us to go live. It would often splutter to a
halt mid song, and that’s where my joy of improvisation and northern comedy routines
came in handy, although often lost on our German audience. But when you look like a
demented Mickey Mouse, it only adds to the off-kilter appeal.
Q. What’s your setup like on stage? Any cool visuals or synchronised lights?
A. I am a fan of a big video screen, and we have used them fairly regularly over the
years. Again, though, we haven’t quite got that flawlessly orchestrated, but we hope to
have the gadgets in place to make it run smoothly. I might have ditched the ‘heavy
make-up look’, but still intend to wear some, if not just to mask the advancing years.
Don’t ever get old, kids, it’s overrated. Oh, and I’m getting some bespoke bondage
trousers made up for me at the moment by the uber-talented Billy Campbell. I’ve not
owned a pair for 30 years, so they’re making a comeback.
Q. Talking of live dates. Do you have any plans in the near future?
A. We do...it’s actually nice to be able to answer positively to this one. We have M’era
Luna in August and the Hellsinki Industrial Festival in November, with the possibility of a
special show also in November.
Q. What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to the band on the road?
A. The Blutengel shows always brought hi-jinks, shits and giggles, you need that
otherwise you go insane with anxiety about performing in front of such big crowds.
Helga, another of my imaginary, alter-egos sometimes made an appearence when
pissed, which mainly involved spinning my wig around and all skewed, with all the post
show make-up smeared across my face, she wasn’t pretty!
Q. Have you ever scrapped something you loved because it didn’t ‘fit’ with the
band’s identity?
A. Well, I have a guilty pleasure in Bucks Fizz - Land Of Make Believe song, which I’ve
long wanted to cover in our style, to the boys' disdain, I think they think it’s naff. I haven’t
scrapped my plan as yet, though.
Q. What’s something the industry still doesn’t “get” about synth-based music or
independent artists?
A. I guess they see true synth as not being bankable, even though it was in the 80s, but
of course, that sound filters into tracks by all of the biggest names. Would there be a
new Human League these days that had support from a major, I don’t know, it annoys
me when ‘legacy’ bands, and I hate that terminology, are overlooked and forced into that
bracket, because they’re old, and they don't get the same investment put into them.
Q. How do you handle creative conflict? Has it ever made your connection
stronger?
A. We’re generally pretty easy going with ideas and additions, a democracy at play. The
boys pretty much leave the visual/design/ and themes of songs to me, which is good of
them. I enjoy putting them into rather strange scenarios for videos.
Q. Who's the biggest gearhead in the band?
A. Lloyd
Q. Just for fun ;-) The band name is ‘Massive Ego’. Does it come from a member of
the band or anyone/anything in particular?
A. I used to model in the 90s, that world was rife with egos, and I didn’t have that strong
self belief to make it in that industry, so it became the band name, a piss-take really,
because when the singers got long term anxiety issues, having a massive ego seemed
like a good idea at the time.
Q. And finally, thanks for taking the time out to do this Q&A. Is there anything
further you would like to add?
A. Thank you for having me. Oh, and the new single is called Man Become Monster and
it’s out on 24th July.
