Bio/Press

Mark Gemini Thwaite (aka MGT) was born in Birmingham UK and has been the guitarist for a number of British rock bands and artists, including The Mission, Tricky, Peter Murphy, Spear of Destiny, Theatre of Hate, Mob Research (with Paul Raven of Killing Joke), BPF (with Paul Ferguson of Killing Joke), The Wonder Stuff, and Canadian band National Velvet plus various live and recorded appearances with Al Jourgensen, Revolting Cocks, Gary Numan, Roger Daltrey of The Who, P.J. Harvey, Alanis Morissette, Combichrist, Primitive Race, Ricky Warwick and The Fighting Hearts, Black Star Riders, Ginger of The Wildhearts, Stan Lee of Marvel Comics, Burton C Bell of Fear Factory, MethodMan of Wu-Tang clan, Lol Tolhurst & Porl Thompson of The Cure, Hip-Hop icon DMX, Ashton Nyte of The Awakening, Franz Treichler of The Young Gods and recorded a cover of ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ by ABBA featuring Ville Valo of Finnish band HIM with over 4M Youtube views and 1M Spotify plays to date..

MGT big bear VJ1

‘Home is Where the Dark Is’, MGT Interview podcast (26 Jan 2023):

Thwaite currently holds an artist endorsement with Schecter Guitars, and the Schecter Mark Thwaite Signature solo-II guitar model debuted at NAMM 2017 (click here). MGT also holds endorsement deals with Mesa Boogie Amplification, GHS strings, Seymour Duncan pickups & pedals, BOSS FX (USA), and Pro Tone effects pedals (USA) who also debuted the MGT Dirty Chorus signature pedal in autumn 2016 (click here).

Mark GT with Peter Murphy - Australia 2018 (Lucas Packett photography)

“Under the name MGT, with over 30 years and 20 albums to his credit, the currently US-based Thwaite will not slow down.. He’s still thriving in a groove of constant craft, just as he was during his formative years in Birmingham”… MusicExistence.com review

“Mark Gemini Thwaite is a man who should need no introduction, given the breadth of artists and musical styles he’s made his indelible mark in. Lending his skills as a composer and guitarist to the likes of goth/rockers like The Mission and Peter Murphy, classic rock & rollers like Thin Lizzy’s Ricky Warwick and The Who’s Roger Daltrey, and well known in industrial circles for his collaborations in Primitive Race, Revolting Cocks, and Gary Numan” REGEN magazine

Mark Gemini Thwaite w. Peter Murphy - Bochum 24.11.2018

Peter Murphy feat. David J (40 Years Of Bauhaus) bei einem Konzert am 24.11.2018 in der Christuskirche Bochum

In 2016 MGT announced that he had signed with Hanover record imprint SPV records and released his first solo album, “Volumes” under his MGT acronym. The lead single, “Knowing Me Knowing You”, a cover version of the ABBA classic featuring guest vocalist Ville Valo of HIM, was released in April 2016, mixed by Tim Palmer (HIM/Pearl Jam). The promotional video featuring both MGT & Valo received over 2.8 million+ views on YouTube and counting, & over 480K plays on Spotify and rising..

“Mark is a friend, and the stars were aligned… it was the right song at the right time” – Ville Valo of HIM (2016)

MGT: “I’d had an inspiration to record a dark and brooding version of ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ a few years ago.. the solo album was in the works during last summer, so I recorded the music for it, lovingly reconstructing the parts and melodies based on the ABBA version, and then sent the completed music demo to Ville, who came back with his fantastic vocals, perfect for the song..”

“You will find the who is who of goth rock on ‘Volumes’ – From Ville Valo to Wayne Hussey, Julianne Regan and Andi Sex Gang. Thwaite does what he’s doing best, playing guitar and watching the songs. It’s marvelous that even though so many singers joined, the result is a homogeneous debut solo album” SONIC SEDUCER MAGAZINE

“Real songs (and no guitar orgies) really deliver on diversity and bandwidth… again, with so much original talent and so many famous friends, you can’t do a lot wrong” CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE

“Contender for my album of the year. Each track on this album is a highlight.. I like when artists can show influences without directly copying them and Mark Thwaite does this in 14 different ways on this album” Rocknreelreviews.com (Volumes review)

“When you consider how much talent is spread across one hour, it goes beyond hitting the bullseye, and tears through the dartboard and into the next room” PureRawk.com (UK)

“MGT has out done himself.. It’s been a long wait for a solo album from this guitar player & it’s well worth it.. A real mix of pop sensibilities brewed with Goth fusion. The guest vocalists are a perfect pick…An absolute masterstroke” 8.5/10 AllAboutTheRock.co.uk

“Mark’s musical talents shine through so well on ‘Volumes’. He was always an asset to the bands he played in, but what I love here is how cohesive the sound is. The vocalists come from a wide variety of backgrounds and mix up so many singing styles. But with Mark as the constant driving force, the album works brilliantly” Ian Camfield AltAZ 93.3 radio / XS Manchester / XFM London

“The Reaping and Jessamine (featuring The Awakening’s Ashton Nyte on vocals) sound like Peter Murphy with a metal edge”.. “unlike many solo guitar releases, there’s an emphasis on songcraft over flashy solos, with Thwaite’s session musician chops offering a versatile, multi-faceted sound throughout” 4/5 SmellsLikeInfiniteSadness.com (MGT Volumes review)

“MGT fashions a highly listenable and quite captivating collection of songs that draws more on his strengths not just as a guitarist but as a composer. In short, Volumes is quite an excellent album indeed” REGEN magazine

“‘Volumes’ is a very surprising album, each song shines with its special charm, sometimes powerful, sometimes soft, but always wonderful” Badblack-unicorn.de

“Mark Thwaite scrawls his stylistic sonic signatures over every track. Speaking of signature, Mark has just announced the release of both his own signature pedal (Pro Tone Pedals MGT Chorus) and axe (Schecter MGT Signature Solo-II) in the wake of his aptly entitled first solo album Volumes” Tone Report Weekly

Valo was not the only guest musician on “Volumes”; other appearances included Wayne Hussey of Mark’s previous band The Mission, Miles Hunt and Erica Nockalls of The Wonder Stuff, Ricky Warwick (Black Star Riders, Thin Lizzy), Raymond Watts (PIG, KMFDM), Saffron (Republica), Julianne Regan (All About Eve), Carlo Van Putten (Dead Guitars), goth legend Andi Sex Gang, & Ashton Nyte, Vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who has released 7 stylistically diverse solo albums, as well as 8 albums as gothic rock outfit The Awakening.

Following the critical success of debut album ‘Volumes’, MGT returned in 2017 as a duo, this time with Nyte on vocals throughout, with the band signing a new record deal with legendary US gothic label Cleopatra Records, and new single “All The Broken Things” was released in December 2017 along with a video directed by Vincente Cordero (Jyrki69, Queenryche) followed by sophomore album “Gemini Nyte” released in early 2018, which featured 13 new songs written and recorded by Thwaite/Nyte, plus Paul Ferguson (KILLING JOKE) on drums and guest appearances by Burton C Bell (FEAR FACTORY) and Lol Tolhurst & Pearl Thompson – founding members of THE CURE.

“MGT embody the classic Goth Rock sound on ‘All The Broken Things’… “Comprised of former The Mission guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite, The Awakening’s Ashton Nyte, and Paul Ferguson of Killing Joke manning the sticks, together they’ve resurrected the classic goth rock / darkwave sound on this new track. The stylistic hallmarks are intact from the opening, jangling guitar moments to the floor-pushing, driving bass all tied together with anthemic, arena-ready drumming” LOUDWIRE.com

“An incredibly catchy collection of tunes.. all boxes ticked, its a marriage made in heaven” 8/10 album review – VIVE LE ROCK Magazine

“While Volumes started on a mellow note, Gemini Nyte fires the album on all cylinders” Purerawk.com 5/5 Gemini Nyte album review

“MGT sound amazing on “All The Broken Things”.. If you like the ’80’s gothic rock/new wave sound, you’re going to absolutely love this!” YELLmagazine.com

“All The Broken Things is an irresistible, melodic and catchy goth rock song you can’t hear often enough”.. “Pearls of Goth Rock” Sonic Seducer Magazine

“More powerful and confident than its predecessor, this second release from MGT stands almost as a celebration of the entirety of the goth/rock genre” RegenMag.com

“MGT offers its fans a new Goth rock / Darkwave masterpiece, composed of 13 pieces that flow in perfect harmony… listen to this wonderful album and let yourself be transported by ‘Gemini Nyte’” RockMetalMag.fr

“With ‘Gemini Nyte’ MGT hits its true stride” – IntravenousMag.co.uk

“A gothic rock lover’s dream- MGT has an upcoming release that will make even the darkest of hearts swoon” RockRevolt Magazine

“Gemini Nyte feels like a perfect combination of The Sisters Of Mercy, The 69 Eyes, HIM, The Mission, Killing Joke, Type O Negative and The Awakening. The hard driving edgy metallic guitars, together with vibrant rhythmic line and deep, smooth, dark and powerful Ashton’s versatile voice, are in the right balance to offer an astounding sonic experience” Terrarelicta.com

“Nobody has done Gothic Rock quite like HIM – that is until MGT released (the) spectacular latest record ‘Gemini Nyte'”.. “We have a cover of Soft Cell’s ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’ which is as atmospheric as it is anthemic, while ‘Dystopia’ is a hauntingly powerful piece” Altcorner.com

“Gothic, eccentric and driving, are just a few words to describe the new songs and music… It brings you on an emotional & soundscape adventure” UnCivilRevolt.com

“This is a remarkable effort that all fans of the melancholic industrial scene should definitely check it out. It includes 13 well-crafted songs that have the knack of reaching out to a wider audience due to their imaginative sonic structure” RockPages.gr

“From stadium-ready anthems to merging elements of electro-pop and grunge, ‘Gemini Nyte’ covers a little bit of everything” – The Prelude Press

“The rock and roll incendiary of the triad “All The Broken Things”, “Every Little Dream” and “Armageddons Sideshow” is amazing, just as the pop-industrial of “The Reaping”… 8.5/10 Ascension Magazine (Italy)

“It is almost equally as masterful reinventing the wheel that strays just enough from the original form yet keeps the key elements.. this is what Ashton Nyte and Mark Gemini Thwaite have successfully accomplished with ‘Gemini Nyte’. They have made a style all their own that is exciting and modern” 4.5 / 5 CrypticRock.com

The first single from the new album was “All The Broken Things,” a stomping goth rocker with a new video featuring Nyte, Thwaite, Paul Ferguson and ex-The Mission bassist Richard Vernon. Mixed by legendary producer John Fryer (NINE INCH NAILS, HIM, THIS MORTAL COIL) and directed by Vicente Cordero who recently directed videos for QUEENSRŸCHE, 3TEETH and JYRKI 69. The new video was premiered on 30 November by Loudwire.com and debuted at #1 in the Bandcamp Industrial & Goth charts..

http://loudwire.com/mgt-all-the-broken-things-video-premiere/ (30 Nov 2017)

The band followed this with a second single ‘Every Little Dream’ in January 2018, along with a new promo video premiered on Teamrock.com (below), as well as announcing a pre order for the ‘Gemini Nyte’ album coming 23rd February, and announced US tour dates with Jyrki69 of platinum selling Finnish goth n rollers The 69 Eyes (see Tour page):

http://teamrock.com/news/2018-01-18/mgt-premiere-video-for-new-track-every-little-dream

Just before the ‘Gemini Nyte’ album was released, Mark & Ashton teamed up with former/founding members of The Cure, Lol Tolhurst and Pearl Thompson, for a standalone single dubbed “The Assembly Line (Cured Mix).” This alternate version of the song – different from the album version -featured new guitars by Pearl Thompson and new keyboards by Tolhurst. The track was premiered at Post-Punk.com (link below). The new single was accompanied by a ‘Broken Things’ remix by Tolhurst. Click on banner to hear the stream:

http://www.post-punk.com/mgt-assembly-line-cured-mix/

“We enjoyed adding our light and shade to MGT’s new album with our contributions to the “Assembly Line” – getting us warmed up for our further adventures this year too!” – Lol Tolhurst and Pearl Thompson

“So pleased to have collaborated with these legends.. a huge influence on our music.. the moment we heard Lol’s and Pearl’s instrumentation on the song I was amazed how Curesque it sounded! You’ve got 50% of the original and classic Cure lineup right there… sounds brilliant” – Mark Gemini Thwaite

“As a long time fan of The Cure, it is a true blessing to have Lol and Pearl add their magic to my favourite song on this album. Most grateful indeed!” – Ashton Nyte

The MGT sophomore album ‘Gemini Nyte’ finally hit the stores on CD and digital on 23rd February 2018, receiving critical acclaim in many quarters as a ‘gothic rock masterpiece’.

“MGT offers its fans a new Goth rock / Darkwave masterpiece” RockMetalMag.fr

Mark Gemini Thwaite (MGT) – March 2018 (photo: Anabel DFlux)

MORE MGT PRESS & REVIEWS:

In March 2018 the band premiere their emotional cover of Stone Temple Pilots deep cut ‘Atlanta’ video on NewNoiseMagazine.com in homage to the late singer Scott Weiland:

http://newnoisemagazine.com/video-premiere-mgt-atlanta-stone-temple-pilots-cover/

“As an avid fan of Scott Weiland and Stone Temple Pilots I was deeply moved by his passing. Mark and I were busy recording the Gemini Nyte album at the time and I reached out to him to record some acoustic guitars for “Atlanta”, as I was toying with releasing a stripped version of the song as an Ashton Nyte solo single / tribute at the time. Mark kindly obliged and then kept adding bits and pieces to the musical arrangement and it organically evolved into a “Gemini Nyte” track. Once I had laid down the vocals I knew it had to be our album closer. It is not necessarily the best known STP track but has been my favourite song of Scott’s since the moment I first heard it. We shot a very impromptu video of Mark and I recording the song in the studio, in the hope that it captures the intimacy of the performance and the love we both have for this beautiful song and our respect for the body of work Scott Weiland and Stone Temple Pilots have given us. Rest In Peace Scott.” – Ashton Nyte (MGT)

“If this haunting cover doesn’t give you goosebumps, we don’t know what will”.. AltCorner.com name ‘Atlanta’ track of the day: http://altcorner.com/trackoftheday/mgt-atlanta/

“We’re given a cherry on top with a cover of Stone Temple Pilots’ ‘Atlanta’ as their tribute to the late Scott Weiland… a tribute that he would not only appreciate, but would very much approve of” Purerawk.com 5/5 Gemini Nyte album review

MGT band 2018: From left to right: Jared Shavelson (BoySetsFire), Mark Gemini Thwaite (The Mission), Ashton Nyte (The Awakening), Rich Vernon (The Mission)

MGT VOLUMES REVIEWS: