Whipping Boy (Irish band)
Whipping Boy are an Irish alternative rock band who were mainly active in the late 1980s and early to 1990s.
Whipping Boy | |
---|---|
Origin | Dublin, Ireland |
Genres | Alternative rock, shoegazing, post-punk, noise rock, post-hardcore |
Years active | 1988–1998 2005–present |
Labels | Columbia Records Cheree Records Liquid Records Low Rent Records |
Members | Colm Hassett Myles McDonnell Fearghal McKee Paul Page |
History
Whipping Boy formed in Dublin in 1988, the band comprising Fearghal McKee (vocals), Paul Page (guitar), Myles McDonnell (bass, vocals), and Colm Hassett (drums).[1] They initially performed cover versions of songs by The Velvet Underground and The Fall, and went by the name Lolita and the Whipping Boy, shortening their name when their female guitarist left.[2] After a couple of EP's on the Cheree label, they released their low-key debut album, Submarine in 1992 on Liquid Records . Their live performances raised their profile, with McKee known to cut himself with broken glass on stage.[2] The album was critically acclaimed though commercially unsuccessful, and led to a deal with Columbia Records, who issued the band's second album, Heartworm, in 1995, along with three minor hit singles.[1] Heartworm received much critical acclaim, with Allmusic calling it "an earth-shatteringly powerful experience".[3] The group split up in 1998 after being dropped by Columbia, leaving a third album unreleased. The self-titled album was eventually released in 2000 on their own Low Rent label.[1]
The band reformed in September 2005, announcing several Irish dates.
Discography
Studio Albums
Year | Details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
IRL [4] | ||
1992 | Submarine
|
— |
1995 | Heartworm
|
— |
2000 | Whipping Boy
|
65 |
Singles
- Sweet Mangled Thing EP (1989) (self-issued cassette-EP)
- Whipping Boy EP (1990) Cheree
- I Think I Miss You EP (1991) Cheree
- "Favourite Sister" (1992) Liquid
- "Twinkle" (1995) Columbia
- "We Don't Need Nobody Else" (1995) Columbia (UK No. 51, IRE No. 24)[1]
- "When We Were Young" (1996) Columbia (UK No. 46, IRE No. 28)[1]
- "Twinkle" (1996) Columbia (UK No. 55)[1]
- "No One Takes Prisoners Anymore / Earth's Last Picture" (2012) Rocket Girl[5]
References
- Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Whipping Boy", in The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0
- Lewis, Jonathan "Whipping Boy Biography", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
- Rabid, Jack "Heartworm Review", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
- http://www.irish-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Whipping+Boy
- http://rocketgirl.co.uk/label/release/rgirl87