Whipping Boy were an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band who were active from the late 1980s until the late 1990s, who released 3 full-length albums.

History

Whipping Boy formed in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in 1988, the band comprising Fearghal McKee (vocals), Paul Page (guitar), Myles McDonnell (bass, vocals), and Colm Hassett (drums). They initially performed

cover versions In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of songs by

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...

and The Fall, and went by the name Lolita and the Whipping Boy, shortening their name when their female guitarist left.Lewis, Jonathan " Whipping Boy Biography, ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'', Macrovision Corporation After a couple of EPs on the

Cheree "Cheree" is a song by the synth punk band Suicide, written by its members Martin Rev and Alan Vega. It was released as a single in 1978 by Bronze Records. Since its initial release, it has been covered by a number of artists, most notably by ? ...

label, they released their low-key debut album, ''

Submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

'' in 1992 on Liquid Records. Their live performances raised their profile, with McKee known to cut himself with broken glass on stage. The album was critically acclaimed though commercially unsuccessful, and led to a deal with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

, who issued the band's second album, ''

Heartworm ''Dirofilaria immitis'', also known as heartworm or dog heartworm, is a parasitic roundworm that is a type of filarial worm, a small thread-like worm, that causes dirofilariasis. It is spread from host to host through the bites of mosquitoe ...

'', in 1995, along with three minor hit singles.Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Whipping Boy", in ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, ''Heartworm'' received much critical acclaim, with ''

'' calling it "an earth-shatteringly powerful experience". 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. The band reformed in September 2005, announcing several Irish dates. The original line-up disbanded finally in 2006. McKee and Hassett reformed the band in 2011 without the permission of Page and McDonnell. Their respective roles were assumed by Killian McGowan and Finn O'Connor. This line-up released a single called "No One Takes Prisoners Anymore" before disbanding once more in 2012.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

*''Sweet Mangled Thing'' EP (1989) (self-issued cassette-EP) *''Whipping Boy'' EP (1990)

*''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) *"When We Were Young" (1996) Columbia (UK No. 46, IRE No. 28) *"Twinkle" (1996) Columbia (UK No. 55) *"No One Takes Prisoners Anymore / Earth's Last Picture" (2012)

Rocket Girl Rocket Girl is a London-based independent record label. It has released records by Robin Guthrie, Pieter Nooten, God Is an Astronaut, Ulrich Schnauss, A Place to Bury Strangers, Bell Gardens among others, including many artists associated ...

Notes

References

{{Authority control Musical groups from Dublin (city) Musical groups established in 1988 Irish alternative rock groups Irish post-punk music groups Irish noise rock groups Columbia Records artists