Massive Ego is a British

darkwave Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, ro ...

musical group formed in 1996 by singer Marc Massive (also the owner of the Public Disordar label) and Andy J Thirwall. The band has changed its sound and image since its formation. The original releases being mostly covers in a

Eurodance Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of Hip-hop, rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use ...

Hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by its fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the four-on-the-flo ...

style. Massive and Thirwall later parted ways, and Massive searched for a new musical direction for the band. Collaborations with ''Empire State Human'' and ''Lia Organa & Electric Prince'' were the start of a darker sound for the band. The band joined alternative German label ''

Out of Line Music Out of Line Music is an independent record label located in Berlin, Germany, Miami, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Out of Line is distributed by Rough Trade (Believe Digital) and exclusive partner to publishing giant BMG Rights Management, th ...

'' in 2015 with the line-up; Marc Massive, Oliver Frost, Lloyd Price and Scot Collins. Their debut album for Out of Line was released on 17 February 2017. The current themes of the songs centre around the darker side of life, depression and anxiety, death, suicide, love, sex and vampirism. In March 2022, Massive Ego announced that they were breaking up due to "health issues and personal circumstances." Later reforming in 2024, with Marc joined by Olly, Lloyd and Porl.

History

Formation and ''Nite Klub Skewl'' (1996–2010)

Massive Ego was formed in 1996 with original band members; Marc Massive and Andy J Thirwall. Fronting the band from the start, ex-model and dancer for

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...

's 90s band Jesus Loves You and

MC Kinky Caron Liza Geary (born 15 October 1963 in Paddington, London), known by various stage names, is an English female raggamuffin toaster. She was the world's first white female reggae/dancehall MC, and the first dancehall MC ever, to chat reggae ...

. Marc joined Ezee Possee as a dancer, before they released their single Everything Starts with an 'E' on Boy George's small independent label, ''More Protein''. Marc went on to DJ and co-curate London's ACT ART events for several years.

Dan Black Daniel Edward Black (born 16 November 1975) is an English singer-songwriter and vocalist. He was a member of alternative rock band the Servant, before their split in 2007. He is also a vocalist for the Italian British group Planet Funk. Afte ...

and Stuart 'Barnaby' Moffatt joined the band's line-up in the same year. The band performed their first live gig in January 1996 at Club Skinny at HQ's in Camden, one of two clubnights, along with Arcadia in Soho, which formed the core of the

Romo Romantic Modernism, more commonly known as Romo, was a musical and nightclubbing movement, of glam/style pop lineage, in the UK circa 1995–1997, centred on the twin homes of Camden-based clubnight Club Skinny and its West End clone Arcad ...

scene. On 12 October, Massive Ego were featured on the cover of Boyz magazine. In 1997, ''

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'' a

cover of

Divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

, was released as the band's debut single. In 1997 and '98, they performed at Summer Rites Fest in Brockwell Park, Brixton. ''

Planet Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all of Earth's water is ...

'' was the second single, released in 1999, a cover of

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

. September 2000 saw the band playing their first Pride festival in Nottingham. 2002 saw Steady (Eddie Orange Dasher) join the band on keyboards. Steady had previously been in

Leigh Bowery Leigh Bowery (26 March 1961 – 31 December 1994) was an Australian performance artist, club promoter, and fashion designer. Bowery's performances featured striking costumes and make-up and were conceptual, flamboyant, outlandish, and sometime ...

's band Minty, The Offset, as well as his own bands Elizabeth Bunny and Sweetie. A third single; '' My Heart Goes Bang (Get Me to the Doctor)'' (vs. Miss Dusty 'O') a

Dead Or Alive A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...

cover, was released later that year. A radio edit of unreleased track, Murder, was the b-side to the single, and featured Steady on guitars as well as synths. Dean Bright (ex-Dead Or Alive) also joined the band that year. Bright was also a fashion designer, whose credits included the purple coat worn by

Pete Burns Peter Jozzeppi Burns (5 August 1959 – 23 October 2016) was an English singer, songwriter and television personality who formed the band Dead or Alive (band), Dead or Alive in 1980 during the New wave music, new wave era and was the band's lea ...

in both the video for ''

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'' and on the cover of the album '' Youthquake''. Oliver Frost joined the band in 2004, on keyboards. Massive Ego played

Brighton Pride Brighton and Hove Pride is an annual LGBT pride event held in the city of Brighton and Hove, England, organised by Brighton Pride, a community interest company (CIC) which promotes equality and diversity, and advances education to eliminate dis ...

in the same year. In 2005, Steady committed suicide. The song '' Low Life'' was later written as a dedication to his memory. The long-awaited debut album, '' Nite Klub Skewl'' was released in 2007. Which included all three of the previously released singles. The album consisted mostly of covers, but also had original songs, such as Murder, Fight the Feeling, Wrecked and Nite Klub Skewl. On 13 March 2009 the compilation Master & Servant was released. It featured eleven of twelve tracks from ''Nite Klub Skewl'' plus three new tracks, including the single

Sex Drive In psychology, libido (; ) is psychic drive or energy, usually conceived of as sexual in nature, but sometimes conceived of as including other forms of desire. The term ''libido'' was originally developed by Sigmund Freud, the pioneering origin ...

, the second Dead Or Alive cover released as a single, on 30 October later that year. Massive Ego played

Pride London Pride in London is an annual LGBT pride festival and pride parade held each summer in London, England. The event, which was formerly run by Pride London, is sometimes referred to as London Pride. Pride in London celebrates the diversity of the ...

in 2010.

Collaborations and change of direction (2011–2014)

In 2011, Massive began searching for a new musical direction for the band, and released the single ''

I Idolize You "I Idolize You" is a song written and produced by Ike Turner. It was released by Ike & Tina Turner in 1960 as the second single from their debut album '' The Soul of Ike & Tina Turner''. Overview After years with male front-men backing his Kings ...

'', written by Massive & Thirwall. It marked a darker electronic and industrial sound. Lyrically the title track of the single was a complete departure from their previous releases, and centred around the darker side of fame. In 2012, Massive began collaborating with Irish electronic band, Empire State Human. A cover of

Hazel O'Connor Hazel Thereasa O'Connor (born 16 May 1954) is a British singer-songwriter and actress. She became famous in the early 1980s with hit singles " Eighth Day", " D-Days" and " Will You?" She also starred in the 1980 film '' Breaking Glass''. Caree ...

's ''Eighth Day'' was released digitally on Halloween, later that year, with a music video to promote the single. All profits were donated to ''F.R.I.E.N.D'' a farmed animal sanctuary in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, UK. 2013 saw Massive collaborating with Belgian duo Lia Organa & Electric Prince writing and performing vocals on their track ''Dead Silence'', released on 28 February via ''Black Leather Records''. Two digital singles were released via the

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

site; ''Devil in Disguise'' (Originally released on the I Idolize You single) and the previously unreleased, ''I Like Boys'' (Lia Organa & Electric Prince Remix), both on 9 July. 2014 saw the first collaboratorive release with Empire State Human, ''Sound of the Download'' was released as a digital single on Massive's own independent label, ''Public Disordar Records'' on 4 February. This release saw Massive venturing into the

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. Musically, Britpop produced bright, catchy alternative rock, with significant influences from British guitar pop of the 1960s and 1970s. B ...

genre. On 25 August, a second collaboration single with Empire State Human was released. ''Animal Rights Human Wrongs'' was a modern take on the 'animal rights song', with proceeds going to the charities, ''Saving strays'' in

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and ''The Mayhew Animal Home'' in the UK. The track ''Generation V'' was released on the compilation ''Fuel For the Machine''. On 20 October, a new EP was released. '' Low Life'' was a release of further collaborations with Empire State Human featuring vocals by ''Maggie K DeMonde'' of Scarlet Fantastic as well as remixes. A video was released of the title track for the EP. Massive Ego played

again.

Signing to Out of Line and ''Beautiful Suicide'' (2015–2022)

Marc continued to look for a darker sound for the band, and after the ''Modification'' remix done by Lloyd Price (ex-

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) for the ''I Idolize You'' single in 2011, he joined the band in 2015 on keyboards and programming. An EP was put together for release through the band's new label,

. Before the release of the new EP, the ''Modification Edit'' of I Idolize You was released on Out of Line's Electrostorm Vol. 6, Marking it as the first official release on the new label. Noise in the Machine was released on 24 July 2015. It featured remixes of I Idolize You, Dead Silence, Generation V and Low Life, from ''The Frixion'', Lloyd's side project,

Aesthetic Perfection Aesthetic Perfection is an American-Austrian electronic musical project created by Daniel Graves in 2000. It was formed in Los Angeles, California before moving to Linz, Austria. Biography Aesthetic Perfection was formerly signed directly to M ...

and

Leæther Strip Leæther Strip is a Danish musical project founded on 13 January 1988 by Claus Larsen. Its influence has been most felt in the electronic body music and electro-industrial genres. Leæther Strip was one of the earliest and most prominent acts ...

. Two music videos were released to promote the EP; ''I Idolize You (Modification Edit)'' and ''Dead Silence Rising (Frixion Mix)'' Scot Collins joined the band on keyboards and programming, later in 2015, and they began work on a new album, which was recorded throughout 2016. The new line-up performed their first live gig together at London's Electrowerkz on 30 January 2016. In the new line-up, Frost moved from keyboards to percussion. They performed new tracks from their EP, as well as tracks from their upcoming new album. Two new tracks were later released; ''Drag Me in, Drag Me Under'' on the Out of Line compilation series ''Electrostorm Vol. 7'' and ''Out of Line'' on the Electronic Saviours compilation series ''Electronic Saviors: Industrial Music to Cure Cancer Vol. 4''. On 20 May, the ''Mat Pop'' remix of Reigning in the Machines was released via bandcamp, with all profits being donated to Norton Animal Rescue Foundation set up by Gary Edwards in 2010. The band performed at the ''Out of Line Weekender 2016'', opened for

Blutengel Blutengel (stylized BlutEngel; German for "Blood Angel") is a German electronic music group formed by singer Chris Pohl (also of the groups Terminal Choice, Tumor and Miss Construction and the owner of the Fear Section label) after leaving Se ...

at their ''Nemesis Open Air Festival'', and at Infest Festival. Their last performance of the year saw the band return to ''Elektrowerkz'' on 10 September. On 1 December, Massive and Collins both contributed to a track by multimedia artist ''Christo'' on her single ''Malfunctioning Me''. With Massive contributing lyrics and vocals, and Collins adding synths and electronic guitar. 2 December 2016 saw the release of

BlutEngel Blutengel (stylized BlutEngel; German for "Blood Angel") is a German electronic music group formed by singer Chris Pohl (also of the groups Terminal Choice, Tumor and Miss Construction and the owner of the Fear Section label) after leaving Se ...

's single ''Complete'' which featured the Massive Ego remix of the title track. It was lead single from their 10th album, '' Leitbild''. The title of the new album was announced in a Christmas message from the band through their social media accounts. '' Beautiful Suicide'' was released on 17 February 2017. Featured vocalists include ''Chris Pohl'' (BlutEngel), ''Maggie K DeMonde'' (Scarlet Fantastic), German gothic rapper ''Belzebub'' and ''Gene Serene'' (The Frixion). Photography for the album was done by 80's photographer

David Levine David Levine (December 20, 1926 – December 29, 2009) was an American artist and illustrator best known for his caricatures in ''The New York Review of Books''. Jules Feiffer has called him "the greatest caricaturist of the last half of the ...

. The Beautiful Suicide version of Low Life was featured on the Out of Line compilation, ''Electrostorm Vol. 8''. This is the third consecutive feature on the compilation series. In April and May, they supported BlutEngel on their ''Leitbild'' tour. They also performed at Amphi Festival and Wave Gothic Treffen 2017. Later in the year they played

Whitby Goth Weekend Whitby Goth Weekend, abbreviated to WGW or nicknamed Whitby, is a twice-yearly music festival for the goth subculture, in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, organised by Jo Hampshire. The event is an alternative music festival, consisting of two ...

and the second half of the ''Leitbild'' tour. On 9 November, the band released an official statement on their website and through social media, that Lloyd parted ways with the band, due to work and family commitments. In 2018, the band supported

Covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

as part of their UK tour in March. In April, they returned to Whitby to headline. Later in 2018, they played again at the Out of Line Weekender, and

M'era Luna Festival The M'era Luna is a gothic festival that encompasses a number of different styles such as metal, future pop, aggrotech, synthpop, gothic rock, dark wave, and EBM. It is held annually on the second weekend of every August, in Hildesheim, ...

. To celebrate a year since the release of Beautiful Suicide, the band released Nothing But A Void via their Bandcamp page. It featured two previously unreleased tracks from the album's recording sessions. Later, in September they supported Solar Fake, and entered the studio to record the follow-up to Beautiful Suicide. And in December they headlined their A Black xMassive show in London. The new album's title was revealed in February 2019 as, Church For the Malfunctioned. Massive Ego began their support of BlutEngel in the same month on the first half of their Un:Gott Tour. In March, the album was made available for pre-order, which revealed the release date of 26 April, and the track ''My Religion is Dark'' was made available to buy via iTunes. ''Digital Heroin'' was released 12 April with an accompanying video. In January 2020, Massive Ego went on a double headliner tour with labelmates

Ashbury Heights Ashbury Heights is a Swedish electronic music duo from Sundsvall, Medelpad, formed in 2005. The duo consisted originally of Anders Hagström (vocals, songwriter, music, and programming) and Yasmine Uhlin (vocals). Uhlin left the band after the ...

. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

touring was cancelled for various festivals including Plage Noir, Out of Line Weekender and Castle Party. With being unable to tour, they collaborated with

on a new single called, Nothing But A Void, released on Friday 13 November. Massive Ego was also featured on Ashbury Heights' song One Trick Pony, released in late March 2021. In September 2021, they played HRH Goth Festival, their first show since the pandemic. Featuring 3 new songs from the upcoming EP ''The New Normal'', including the single ''You Will Comply'' which was released 1 October. The band line-up changed with the live performance, reintroducing Lloyd Price after the departure of Scot Collins. As of January 2022, former

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member Porl Young has joined the band line-up.

Comeback (2024)

In 2024, Massive Ego announced their reformation with a comeback performance at

Out of Line Out of Line Music is an independent record label located in Berlin, Germany, Miami, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Out of Line is distributed by Rough Trade (Believe Digital) and exclusive partner to publishing giant BMG Rights Management, t ...

Weekender festival 2024. During the performance on 2 May, they announced an upcoming single called ''In Your Own Darkness''. As well as showcasing the new fuller live sound and image of the band, having moved on from the recognisable trademark make-up and 'Mickey Mouse' geisha hair style, in favour of a more grounded and gimmick free look going forward.

Band name

The name of the band was thought up by Marc, as an ironic wordplay on his personality, compared to what was expected of him as having been a model. Seeing how most models, with being in the public eye, were focused on their image and how they portrayed themselves as being larger than life. With most buying into their own hyped up personas, and developing an ego that matched who they had convinced themselves that they were.

Line-up

Current members

* Marc Massive – lyrics, vocals (1996–2022, 2024–present) * Oliver Frost – percussion (2004–2022, 2024–present) * Lloyd Price – keyboards, programming, music (2015–2017, 2021–2022, 2024–present) * Porl Young – Guitar, programming, music (2022, 2024–present)

Former members

* Andy J Thirwall – keyboards, programming, music (1996–2000) * Stuart 'Barnaby' Moffatt – bass (1996–1997) * Dan Black – guitar (1996–1997) * Eddie Orange Dasher (Steady) – keyboards, guitar (2002–2005) * Dean Bright – keyboards (2002–2005) * Scot Collins – keyboards, programming, music (2015–2021)

Discography

Albums

* 2006: '' Nite Klub Skewl'' * 2017: '' Beautiful Suicide'' * 2019: '' Church for the Malfunctioned''

Compilations

* 2009: '' Master & Servant''

EPs

* 2014: '' Low Life'' * 2015: ''Noise in the Machine'' * 2018: ''Nothing But A Void'' * 2022: ''The New Normal''

Singles

* 1997: "

!" (

cover) * 1999: "

" (

cover) * 2002: " My Heart Goes Bang (Get Me to the Doctor)" (vs. Miss Dusty 'O') (

Dead or Alive A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...

cover) * 2009: "

" (Dead or Alive cover) (

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

digital single) * 2011: "

" * 2012: "Eighth Day (

cover)" * 2013: "Dead Silence" (Lia Organa & Electric Prince feat. Marc Massive) * 2013: "I Like Boys (Lia Organa & Electric Prince Remix)" (

digital single) * 2013: "Devil in Disguise" (Bandcamp digital single) * 2014: "Sound of the Download" * 2014: "Animal Rights, Human Wrongs" * 2016: "Reining in the Machines (Matt Pop Remix)" (Bandcamp digital single) * 2016: "Malfunctioning Me" (with Christo) * 2019: "Digital Heroin" * 2020: "Nothing but a Void" (with

) * 2021: "You Will Comply" * 2021: "Dead Eyes Black" * 2024: "In Your Own Darkness" * 2025: "(My) Death Song" * 2025: "Hit the Kerb Running"

Music videos

Remixes

References

External links

* {{Massive Ego British electronic music groups Out of Line Music artists Musical groups established in 1996 Romo