Oliver: Whirling Pig Dervish - Whip (18 January 1992)

In Kenneth Branagh's wonderful 1995 film, In the Bleak Midwinter, there is an hilarious scene in which the director of a production of Hamlet is auditioning various actors who happen to be out of work with Christmas approaching.  One of the auditionees is a Scottish actor who the director reassures will be fine to perform Shakespeare in a regional accent, until he hears him bellow the "Now is the winter of our discontent" speech from Richard III in a Govan accent so thick, you could tarmac a road with it.



That scene - that accent came back to me when I heard the key part of Whip by Whirling Pig Dervish.  With its off kilter time signatures and duelling punk guitars, you may find your judgement of the track on a knife-edge, but once that strident Scots shout of "Don't call me your father. Cos I'm not your father etc" comes in you can't help but smile and bung it on the mixtape.  Whip appears to be Whirling Pig Dervish doing "accessible".  I was most curious to hear their track named after Neighbours character, Kerry Bishop but it didn't prove persuasive.  The Scots do this kind of frenetic punk shouting better than anyone else in these islands and this track is a prime example of why.

Videos courtesy of Kruno Janes and Tim Burden (Patrick Doyle)