British Whale

Infobox musical artist
Name = British Whale


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Origin = England, UK
Genre = Synthpop
Years_active = 2005 – present
Label = Atlantic Records
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Current_members = Justin Hawkins
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British Whale is the solo alias of singer/guitarist/keyboardist Justin Hawkins from Lowestoft in the East of England.

History

To date British Whale has released two singles, first, a cover of Sparks' 1974 #2 (UK) hit "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us". It reached #6 in the UK charts. The single features a B-side, an original track called "America".

In May 2006, British Whale released a second single, an unofficial World Cup anthem entitled "England" on downloads only. It features a chorus of 'England's to the tune of the German national anthem as well as lyrical references to World War II Prime Minister Winston Churchill's wartime speeches. Some see his deliberate mentioning of the war to be controversial [http://news.superiorpics.com/2006/04/27/hawkins__controversial_war_soccer_song_0242_5.html] , though accusations of "Hun Bashing" [http://www.nme.com/news/the-darkness/22914] , are more works of inventionFact|date=February 2007 from "The Sun". Rather, the song is intended as an ironic comment on so-called "political correctness gone mad" and the accusations of nationalism that are aimed at those who support their national football teamFact|date=February 2007.

Plans were afoot to release an album of already-recorded material in the summer of 2006Fact|date=August 2007. Titles considered for the album included "Pretentious, Moi?" or "Wurst Case Scenario", though Hawkins has since revealed in an interview with MTV Germany [http://www.mtv.de/rockamring2006/index.php] that he intends to call the album "Snatching Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory".

However, after leaving the The Darkness in early October 2006, it is unknown when Justin will continue his solo career. It is thought that his solo album will still be released in the future.

Peripheral project

In 2006 The Darkness released a DVD-Single, "Girlfriend" (Atlantic Records serial number 5051011 421822 DARK06DVD), which included three audio-only bonus tracks. Amongst these was the "Girlfriend" (British Whale Remix), which was subsequently made available as a downloadable single. However, a number of the websites offering the download have it confused with the trance-inspired "Freelance Hellraiser Screaming" (J Hawkins Remix). The genuine "British Whale Remix" is distinguishable by its Van Halen-esque keyboard signature-theme.

Discography

ingles

* This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us #6 (UK) (2005)
* England (2006) (Download Only)

External links

* [http://www.britishwhale.com The British Whale Official website]