Whale was a Swedish

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

active from 1992 to 1999.

Career

Gordon Cyrus and

Henrik Schyffert Per Henrik Schyffert (born 23 February 1968) is a Swedish comedian, actor, musician and radio and television personality. Career Schyffert was a VJ for MTV Europe in the late 1980s. In 1992 he hosted the comedy TV show '' I Manegen Med Glenn Kil ...

met while working on a commercial and decided to collaborate on a music track. Schyffert recruited his then-girlfriend, Cia Berg, to perform vocals. The band enjoyed some success, particularly in the European market. Their first single, 1993's " Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe", was positively received by critics and received heavy spins in the Euro dance club scene and saturation airplay on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

. It reached the Top 10 in Denmark and Norway, Top 30 in the Netherlands and Austria, Top 40 in Sweden, and No. 24 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. It also reached No. 46 on the UK Singles Chart in 1994, and when reissued in 1995, reached No. 15. The music video for "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe", directed by

Mark Pellington Mark Pellington (born March 17, 1962) is an American film director, writer, and producer. Life and career Pellington was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Bill Pellington, an All-Pro linebacker who played American Football, football with t ...

, won the first

MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video is an award category presented at the MTV Europe Music Awards. The award was first presented in 1994 under the name Best Director, awarded to Whale's " Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe". This is the only MTV EMA a ...

in 1994. Whale toured with Tricky, Blur and

Placebo A placebo ( ) can be roughly defined as a sham medical treatment. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. Placebos are used in randomized clinical trials ...

. In the late 1990s, the band's official website stated that their original name was Southern Whale Cult 1987, and that several albums had previously been released under that name. This was later admitted to have been a joke; the band had copied a presentation by

The Cult The Cult are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Bradford in 1983. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band had performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead vocalist Ian Astbury ...

and simply changed the name of the band in the text. Whale disbanded after the 1999 single "Deliver the Juice", to little fanfare.

Post-breakup

Schyffert has enjoyed an extensive television and comedy career, while Cyrus has found success in international audiovisual marketing and design.

Discography

Studio albums

*''

We Care ''We Care'' is the debut album by Swedish alternative rock group Whale. The album was produced by Whale; several tracks were produced in cooperation with Falcon or Tricky. Background and release After forming an impromptu band, Gordon Cyrus, ...

'' (1995,

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

Hut Records VC Recordings trading as Hut Records was a British record label brand which was started in 1990 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Virgin Records. Despite being wholly owned by a major label, it was classed as an independent label for the purposes ...

) *'' All Disco Dance Must End in Broken Bones'' (1998, Virgin/Hut)

Singles and EPs

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whale (band) Swedish musical groups Virgin Records artists Musical groups disestablished in 1999 MTV Europe Music Award winners English-language musical groups from Sweden Female-fronted musical groups