Getting to Know… Medusa Touch | Interview 🎤

For Interview #42 in the Getting to Know… series, The Musical Hype gets the lowdown from 80s heavy rock collective, Medusa Touch. 

“The way we try and knock the socks off people is by playing real fist-pumping, sing-along tunes and have the audience join in.” Can you say, ROCK ON!!! In the latest edition of Getting to Know… (Interview #42 if you’re keeping track), The Musical Hype brings in some refreshing, ‘old-school,’ via heavy rock band, Medusa Touch, from Scotland. A contrast to a number of other interviewees for this column, Medusa Touch takes us back to the 1980s – definitely a glorious time for rock/metal.  The band reveals in this engaging interview that it was tough to get that big break back in the day – “We persevered right through the 80’s but nothing came our way… But all of a sudden in 2019, the chance came along and we took it.” Without further ado, here is Getting to Know… Medusa Touch | Interview #42!

Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype (BF): Let’s get this started off right. For those who may not be familiar with Medusa Touch, what would you say makes your band distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

Medusa Touch: As we are an original 80’s metal band from back in the day, that’s quite a unique thing now. There seems to be a resurgence of “New Wave of Classic Rock” happening at the moment. We have the real vibe as we were there :-). The way we try and knock the socks off people is by playing real fist-pumping, sing-along tunes and have the audience join in. The songs are really catchy. So, good songs, encourage the audience and off we go. A great night out.

BF: Awesome! Let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did your band form and what were some of the goals or the visions you had as a band early on?

Medusa Touch: The band was born out of a decaying Punk Band in 1982. Gordon (Gogsy) Sinclair was the guitarist in the UK82 punk band THREATS, and the band had reached its natural conclusion in early 82. Gogsy and a close friend started jamming together to bands like early Maiden, MSG and Scorpions and then decided that a band would be a good idea. We joined up with a drummer and bass player we say advertising in a local rock mag and that was that MT was born!

Goals wise, back in the 80’s was [to] try and get signed. There were metal bands all over the place. In fact, that turned out to be sooooo difficult. Really difficult to get noticed. We persevered right through the 80’s but nothing came our way. Shame really. But all of a sudden in 2019, the chance came along and we took it. That’s where we are now. A bit less mobile but no less enthusiastic.

BF: Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

Medusa Touch: They are exactly the same. We want to get out and play and entertain. We love the music and want to put it out there for others to enjoy too. So far so good :-D.

BF: Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?  

Medusa Touch: Maiden, MSG, Scorpions, Motorhead (I’m just going to list all the 80’s band here hehehehe) – you get the picture. It’s all the great bands from that era. We loved them all then and still do.  But specifically, I would say somewhere in the WASP, Y&T, Ratt, Maiden, Accept type music sound. Definitely, the two- guitar vibe.

BF: Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

Medusa Touch: I really don’t have any memory of tours back in the day but plenty memories of the times. I do remember falling through our guitarist’s garden fence twice in one night, hehehe. Lately, we are far too adult to get that crazy… That’s not to say we don’t have a laugh because we do. Usually Nige is the brunt of the jokes, hehehe.

BF: Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?  

Medusa Touch: Good question. That kind of changes week to week. This week its “RBS.” Not that the songs get stale, but the latest ones are always more of a challenge and get you on the edge. As almost all the songs are proper sing-along tunes, the ones that engage the audience most is also a good choice.

BF: Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

Medusa Touch: Gogsy, the singer, used to be a leading side drummer in a pipe band, you know that right – bag pipes and all that. Demi, the bass player, has his own pubs, restaurant – he’s a biker and used to be a bouncer on the club doors, hehehehe. Bruce (drummer) and Nige (guitarist) are both fairly quiet or secretive, hehehe 😉

BF: Closing this thing out, what is you/your band currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure. 

Medusa Touch: We are just finishing a small tour round Scotland which was our first gigs for 30 years. We have a full new album’s worth of material ready to record in the new year. We are also doing a few festivals starting early in the new year 2020. If you want to keep an eye on what we are doing check out these links: Website; Facebook; Twitter;  Instagram. We are also available on all the usual streaming and download platforms. (Spotify, amazon, deezer, etc.)

BF: Thank you so much for sharing taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward.   

Medusa Touch: It’s a pleasure – thanks for having us 😀

Photo Credits: Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype, Medusa Touch