Glass Tiger Q & A

August 5, 2025

Your music has a distinct sound that blends pop and rock. What were your key musical influences, and how did they shape your style?

The fact that the entire band contributes as songwriters means there’s always been a mix of influences that seem to be present in our songs. In the early years when we were performing a mix of cover songs as wide ranging as Rush to Depeche Mode and everything in-between. I would say that when we started to write our own material we settled for more of a “UK” vibe due to our singer being from Scotland. Just seemed to be the right fit. Before the band became popular, we were often compared to U2 or Big Country. That’s great because we are big fans of both those bands!  

How did the Canadian music scene influence your development as a band?

The epicenter of the Canadian music scene has always been Toronto. We were fortunate to be located just north of the city in a small town called Newmarket. We worked hard to build a fan base in our small town before venturing into the main Toronto music scene and when it was time to showcase the band for the major record labels we brought along our hometown audience which really helps distinguish us from all the other bands trying to get record deals. It was our opening slot with Boy George and Culture Club at Maple Leaf Gardens that clinched the deal. Once Capitol Records saw the band on a big stage with a hometown crowd cheering us on we were able to lock in a deal. The rest is history.

The music industry has changed dramatically since the 80s. How has Glass Tiger navigated these changes, and what are your thoughts on the current music scene?

Many aspects of the music industry have changed since the mid 80s, but the core focus has not really changed: just write good songs, record and perform them to the best of your ability and hope people sing along. Technology and delivery systems have been the biggest transformation, what used to be tape recorded masters on vinyl and CD formats are now mostly digital. The songwriting aspect is still the same. It all starts with a song.

This will be your first time on The 80s Cruise in 2026, what are you looking forward to experiencing?

We’ve been fortunate to have toured over the past 40 years and still continue today. This is our first cruise experience and we’re excited to be part of an amazing lineup of artists who will be part of this event. Anytime we get a chance to perform for our fans is always fun, the fact that we are all on a ship for the week is awesome and certainly a unique experience for both us and the fans.

The 80s were such an amazing period of musical expansion, vibrant pop culture, the rise of MTV & music videos!  What’s one thing you wish would come back and one thing you’re glad we left behind?

I’m personally happy to let the “big hair” go that I had in the 80’s but I think the songs are really what keeps the era alive. The melodies that many of the 80’s songs had are as strong today and back then. It’s great to know that even though we get older these songs will be hanging around for a long time!