MUSIC Whipping Boy to play Róisín Dubh

REVIVAL Whipping Boy have regrouped and will play in Galway next month.

Another crack of the whip


‘No One Takes Prisoners Anymore’ is the first new single from Whipping Boy in almost 12 years. One of the great iconic Irish acts of the last 25 years, Whipping Boy returned in 2011 to an Irish live scene that they once owned and put in some immense performances around the country’s festivals and venues – including a memorable gig in Castlebar’s Bar Ritz last June. Whipping Boy’s enigmatic frontman Fearghal McKee and drummer Colm Hassett also whipped up a storm at Geraghty’s Bar in Westport last year, when they played with another of their projects, Los Langeros.
Whipping Boy’s legendary early shows were white-noise and strobe-drenched affairs, with McKee’s compelling brand of insanity luring audiences into an intense relationship. Described as the vocal and spiritual link between Ian Curtis and Van Morrison, McKee’s charismatic performances quickly grabbed the attention of the press too. Fearghal has cut himself on stage before with broken bottles, appeared with his face swathed in cling film, sung from atop a ladder and stripped naked mid-song. This isn’t cynically calculated, cheap-thrills theatre, however – it’s his way of saying he has nothing to hide.
The band’s debut album, ‘Submarine’ (1992), owed a small debt to the likes of Spaceman 3 and Sonic Youth with its swirling guitar sounds, oblique lyrics and psychedelic fuzz. It was followed in 1995 by an album generally held up to be one of the greatest Irish albums of all time, and one that left an indelible mark on many Irish songwriters who followed in its wake.
‘Heartworm’ (1995) showed a new level of songwriting and lyrics from a band very much in their stride. The music and words on Heartworm were only matched by McKee’s readiness to lay bare his soul. This deep well of raw emotion was encapsulated and tapped into by the band’s increasingly powerful live performances. Whipping Boy went on tour with Lou Reed across Europe, and just as the world outside Ireland seemed to be sitting up to take notice, the band broke up.
A third, eponymously titled Whipping Boy album was released in 2000 on a new label (Low Rent) but was never toured by the band and fans were left with a feeling of ‘what might have been’.
A tentative comeback in 2005 was followed up this year with a large number of dates around the country, including eye-catching performances at Oxegen and Indiependence. Whipping Boy launch their new single with three final dates in 2011 – Galway, Cork and Dublin. They will be joined on stage by singer and cellist Vyvienne Long for the shows.

Whipping Boy will play The Róisín Dubh, Galway, on Thursday, December 15. Tickets, €18 each, are available at roisindubh.net.