Viagra Boys
Viagra Boys is a Swedish punk band formed in Stockholm in 2015.[1][2][3][4] The line-up currently consists of lead singer Sebastian Murphy alongside musicians Linus Hillborg (guitar), Elias Jungqvist (keyboards), Henrik Höckert (bass), Tor Sjödén (drums), and Oskar Carls (saxophone). The band's lyrics are known for using satire and dark humour to criticise right-wing populism, hypermasculinity, and far-right conspiracy theories.[5][6]
History[edit]
Viagra Boys was formed in Stockholm in 2015 by members active in other bands such as Nine, Les Big Byrd, Pig Eyes, Nitad, and Neu-Ronz. Lead singer Sebastian Murphy is the only foreign-born member of the group, being an American from San Rafael, California, who moved to Stockholm to live with his aunt at the age of 17. His mother is from Sweden and he grew up speaking Swedish.[7] A heavy drug and alcohol addict at the time, Murphy worked as a tattoo artist and met the other band members while performing Mariah Carey's song "We Belong Together" at a karaoke night.[7] Murphy is the chief songwriter of the band.
In 2018, the band released their debut album, Street Worms, on the Swedish independent label Year0001. Nils Hansson of Dagens Nyheter described the band favorably, praising their musical style as well as their use of black humor and satire, and rated the album 5/5.[8] In 2019, the band won the Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA) Album of the Year Award for Street Worms.[9] The band's second album, Welfare Jazz, was released in January 2021. In October of that same year, founding member and guitarist Benjamin Vallé died at the age of 47. While he appeared on Welfare Jazz, he was not an active member of the band at the time of his death.[10][11] Viagra Boys' third studio album, Cave World, was released in July 2022.[12][13] The band played at multiple festivals in 2022, including Coachella and Primavera Sound,[14][15] and performed at Glastonbury in 2023. Viagra Boys won the Swedish Grammis award for Rock of the Year in 2023, and supported Queens of the Stone Age during their North American tour that same year.[16][17]