Biography
Emerging during the mid-1990s, Irish band Whipping Boy drew notice for stories of routine existence and romance filtered through the jaded, skeptical outlook of frontman Ferghal McKee. The group had formed in 1988, delivering its first concert at a 21st birthday gathering in Edenberry by covering material from the Fall and the Velvet Underground. Originally billed as Lolita and the Whipping Boy, the name was later trimmed after the female guitarist embraced religion and departed, leaving McKee on vocals alongside Paul Page on guitar, Colm Hassett on drums, and Myles McDonnell on bass. The band issued its opening pair of EPs on the independent Cheree label—The Whipping Boy EP in 1990 and I Think I Miss You EP in 1991. That exposure prompted a move to Liquid Records, which released the debut album Submarine in 1992. The record failed to achieve commercial traction, yet the band’s live shows steadily elevated its standing, thanks in part to McKee’s onstage behavior. Displaying a self-destructive streak, McKee was known to slice himself with broken glass during performances. Whipping Boy’s first major-label effort, Heartworm, surfaced in 1994 and earned widespread critical praise. Although one track prompted accusations of misogyny, the album yielded three successful singles. “We Don’t Need Nobody Else” led the sequence and proved the strongest, relying chiefly on spoken lyrics that addressed Irish life; its casual, almost offhand nod to domestic violence heightened the song’s force. “Twinkle” followed as the second single, matching the quality of its predecessor while recounting the alarming flaws of a female partner before opening into the luminous chorus “She’s the one for me/Now and always.” “When We Were Young” was issued as the third single.
Albums
