MGT is pleased to confirm he will be hitting the road once again this summer with UK rockers The Wonder Stuff in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of their ‘Construction For The Modern Idiot’ album… The band will be performing this seminal album in it’s entirety along with a full set of hits, classics and rarities from the band’s extensive 37 year catalogue.
Mark previously performed live with the band on their tours in 2019 & 2022, premiering tracks from the band’s latest album ‘Better Being Lucky’, rwhich featured guitars and several compositions co written by MGT.
Mark is pleased to confirm he will be joining The Wonder Stuff in June 2022 as part of their ‘Never Loved Elvis’ anniversary tour in the UK.
The chart topping UK band will be performing the band’s 1991 album – which charted at No.3 in the UK charts – in its entirety plus a full set of hits, classics and oldies.
Mark previously performed live with the band on their 2019 tour, which premiered tracks from the band’s latest album ‘Better Being Lucky’, released in 2019, which featured guitars and several compositions co written by MGT.
Following on from his special guest DJ slot at Scarlet at Artifice Las Vegas in January 2022, MGT is now also confirmed to be special guest DJ at Dallas Fetish Ball at Dallas House of Blues in Texas USA on Sat 19th February 2022, alongside headliners Rubberdoll, Dan Sperry and Cleopatra recording artist and burlesque performer Ashley Bad.
MGT will also be special guest DJ at Submission presents Nachturnal ‘Saints & Sinners’ on 12th March 2022 alongside featured Cleopatra musical artist and burlesque performer Ashley Bad – located at The Circle Huntington Beach California
MarkGT: “You may recall I got my good friend Miles Hunt of Stourbridge’s finest The Wonder Stuff to guest on my MGT solo album ‘Volumes’ back in 2016; this lead to 3 cracking songs written together, and we continued to collaborate on more new material last year.. this has resulted in a brand new Wonder Stuff album coming in 2019, along with some tour dates marking my live debut with the band!” Here’s the official TWS press release:
In the grand tradition of The Wonder Stuff never making two consecutive albums with the same line up we are pleased to announce the 2019 line up of the band.
Unbelievably Miles Hunt is still hanging in there on vocals and rhythm guitar. And having spent last summer in Spain playing for Immaculate Fools as well as writing her third solo album Erica Nockalls is still very much on violin and backing vocal duties.
The first of our new members is drummer Pete Howard. A long time friend of the band Pete has previously drummed for The Clash, EAT, Queen Adreena and Miles’ mid 90s band, Vent 414. On bass this summer is another old friend of the band, Mark Gemini Thwaite. Originally from Birmingham, MGT is best known for his guitaring skills, most notably playing with The Mission, Gary Numan, Ricky Warwick and Peter Murphy, but now fancies having a bash on the bass for no better reason than he can. Miles co-wrote three songs with MGT for his ‘Volumes’ album back in 2016 which instigated their working together with the band this year.
So that leaves us with our guitarist. And we couldn’t be happier to announce that founder member Malc Treece is back in the fold. Having not played with the band since 2011 Malc has been playing with EAT in the interim and has recently put together a new band with EAT vocalist Ange Dolittle, Holy Apes. Luckily for us Malc has found time to retake his rightful position as The Wonder Stuff’s guitarist and we’re sure you’ll agree, it is a most welcome return.
We have 90% of a new album written and demoed which we will begin recording in earnest next month and is set for release this autumn.
Wed 27 Nov – Nottingham, Rock City
Thu 28 Nov – Manchester, Ritz
Fri 29 Nov – Leeds, O2 Academy
Sat 30 Nov – Liverpool, O2 Academy
Thu 5th Dec – Newcastle, O2 Academy
Fri 6th Dec – Glasgow, O2 Academy
Sat 7th Dec – Hull, The Welly
Thu 12th Dec – Bristol, O2 Academy
Fri 13th Dec- London, Shepherds Bush Empire
Sat 14th Dec – Norwich, The UEA
Thu 19th Dec – Exeter, Lemon Grove
Fri 20th Dec – Bournemouth, O2 Academy
Sat 21st Dec – Birmingham, O2 Academy
Album: ‘Better Being Lucky’ CD/ /Vinyl /Digital (Nov 2019)
Label: Good Deeds Music Catalog No: GDM035
1 Feet to the Flames 3:52 *
2. Lay Down Your Cards. 4:33 *
3. Don’t Anyone Dare Give a Damn 5:17 *
4. No Thieves Among Us 3:13 *
5. Better Being Lucky 3:48
6. Bound 3:40 *
7. It’s the Little Things.. 3:31 *
8. When All of This Is Over. 4:22 *
9. The Guy with the Gift 4:53 *
10. Lets Not Pretend 4:23 *
11. Map & Direction 6:13
* Co-written by Mark Gemini Thwaite
Vocals/guitar Miles Hunt Guitars/bvs Malcolm Treece Guitars/keys Mark Gemini Thwaite Violin / Bvs Erica Nockalls Bass Tim Sewell Drums Pete Howard Mixed by Simon Efemey
Mark Gemini Thwaite May 2019 – photo by Lisa S. Johnson (Torched Magazine)
For more information on Mark’s association with The Wonder Stuff, plus the low down on MGT’s recent tour with Peter Murphy & David J of Bauhaus, and his time recoridng and touring with The Mission and Tricky, check out this new interview by Torched Magazine:
Classic Rock Magazine Gmbh premiere the new MGT video ‘You Can’t Go Back (To Once Upon a Time)’ with Miles Hunt & Erica Nockalls of The Wonder Stuff – as well as including the song on their Jul/Aug issue of the magazine! The third video from ‘Volumes’, the new album out now on digipak CD or download: BUY ‘VOLUMES’ HERE:
As well as Hunt and Nockalls, other guest appearances include Ville Valo of HIM on MGT’s ABBA cover of ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ (over three quarters of a million views on YouTube), Wayne Hussey of The Mission, Ricky Warwick (Black Star Riders/Thin Lizzy), Raymond Watts (Pig/KMFDM), Saffron of Republica, Julianne Regan & Andy Cousin of All About Eve, Ashton Nyte of The Awakening, Carlo Van Putten of Dead Guitars, Jorgen Munkeby (Shining Norway) and Goth legend Andi Sex Gang. Click below to stream/order!
MGT – ‘Volumes’ out now! Available on Digipak CD / digital MP3 download
Some of the stellar reviews for ‘Volumes’ so far:
“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”REGENmagazine
“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
“A real highlight is the dramatic singer/songwriter ballad Drive and Forget, sung by Warwick. The rest of the 13 songs are real songs (and no guitar orgies) and 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
“It’s an ambitious project overall when you consider how much talent is spread across one hour, but it goes beyond hitting the bullseye, and tears through the dartboard and into the next room” – 4/5 PureRawk.com review
“‘Volumes’ has a very cohesive feel about it, something that in this age of single track downloads many full bands seem to struggle with and that togetherness has in part got to be down to the crystal clear and razor sharp production and mix”UBERROCK.co.uk
“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” 4/5SmellsLikeInfiniteSadness.com
“Mark Gemini Thwaite 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”REGENmagazine
“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
“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
“Often, guitarists’ albums are little more than an excuse for furious guitar tirades, most often at the expense of the song itself. In this case, though, Mark’s restraint has let him produce a pretty decent album full of good tracks. Definitely worth a listen”TheMidlandRocks.com review
“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”www.rocknreelreviews.com
“‘Volumes’ is a very surprising album, each song shines with its special charm, sometimes powerful, sometimes soft, but always wonderful”www.badblack-unicorn.de
“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. I’m so pleased to finally see his name on the cover”Ian Camfield XFM/ XS Manchester
“Volumes is incredibly executed album. Excellent production allows the sophisticated arrangements on these songs to take the listener on a trip from deep, dark places to bright pinnacles, and back. MGT’s first solo outing is a powerful collection of superbly crafted songs”1340Mag.com
MGT DJ SET at RELEASE THE BATS (USA)
You can also catch MGT spinning a special guest DJ set tonight at RELEASE THE BATS club in Long Beach California on Friday 24th June -and to celebrate the release of ‘Volumes’! MGT with be joined by Ashton Nyte of The Awakening & will spin tracks from the new album, give away some SIGNED CDs and of course rock some exclusive remixes..
Here’s the official video for “The Reaping” from my forthcoming debut solo album ‘Volumes’, featuring The Awakening‘s Ashton Nyte on vocals! You can finally preorder the album now on Digipak CD or Digital download, featuring the smash single ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ with Ville Valo of HIM.. Preview and order the album on CD/digital now and receive “The Reaping” as an advance instant Grat download!:
Valo is not the only guest musician on Volumes, which has turned into a veritable all-star recording. Other appearances include Wayne Hussey of MGT’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 & Andy Cousin (All About Eve), Ashton Nyte (The Awakening), Carlo Van Putten (Dead Guitars), Jorgen Munkeby (Shining Norway) and Goth legend Andi Sex Gang. Click below to preview and pre order now!
Following on from an appearance on ERICA NOCKALLS debut album ‘Imminent Room’ – released in 2012 on IRL – I’m pleased to announce I’ve also contributed guitars to 5 songs on Erica’s latest album, the aptly titled ‘EN2’. Erica is the fiddle player in THE WONDER STUFF and THE PROCLAIMERS as well as fronting her own group. It’s a corker of an album, you can order a CD on Erica’s website here:
Firmly rooted in the heavier side of art-rock, EN2 was independently released 5th November 2014 as a limited edition digipack. The album launch coincided with Erica’s debut art exhibition where Erica created a collection of oil paintings to represent each track on her new record. EN2 was self-funded through sales of Erica’s artwork and her paintings continue to sell well as her career as an artist begins to flourish and gather momentum.
After the release of Erica’s debut record Imminent Room (Independent Records Ltd, 2013), live highlights for EN have included supporting PiL at Birmingham O2 Academy, being asked to appear as a featured artist at the St Pancras Station Sessions, selling out her debut album launch art installation gig at London’s Water Rats, supporting The Wonder Stuff on a successful 10 date UK tour, opening up for alt rock legends, Pop Will Eat Itself and most recently,playing main support to Toyah at her hometown gig in Birmingham at the HMV Institute.
Check out the trailer for The Wonder Stuff‘s new DVD release “Oh Yeah… it’s The Wonder Stuff”. Featuring the MGT psychedelic remix of ‘Clear Through the Years’ (Baltistan Mantra MGT remix)
In a similar vein to 1992’s critically acclaimed ‘Welcome To The Cheap Seats’ TWS rockumentary ‘Oh Yeah… it’s The Wonder Stuff’ documents eighteen months of the band’s activities throughout 2012 and 2013. Director George Taylor takes a fresh look at where the band find themselves in present times, presenting interviews, live footage, acoustic sessions and the full selection of promotional videos connected to the recent ‘Oh No… it’s The Wonder Stuff’ and ‘From The Midlands With Love’ albums. Released on 18th December.The Wonder Stuff’s career has spanned over 20 yaers, they formed in the 1980’s and achieved a No.1 hit single in the UK in 1991. They split in 1994 and reformed in 2000. Currently promoting new album ‘Oh No its The Wonder Stuff’.
MGT Official 