Thompson

Thompson is a Croatian ethno hard rock band, founded by songwriter and lead vocalist Marko Perković ("Thompson"), who is often identified with the band itself. The lineup consists of Tomislav Mandarić, Ivan Ivanković, Duje Ivić, and Ivica Bilić Ike. The band name originates from the Thompson submachine gun, a nickname given to Perković while he fought in the Croatian War of Independence. Although predominantly formed in Čavoglave, Thompson is currently based in Zagreb. The band came to prominence during the Croatian War of Independence with the release of their first single "Bojna Čavoglave". In 1992, Thompson gained further popularity in Croatia with the release of the band's first album Moli mala. They later regained popularity with the popular hit "Prijatelji" in 1998.[citation needed] In 2002, Thompson began their first major tour to promote the album E, moj narode. This tour continued sporadically until 2005, and included concerts at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and Melbourne's Vodafone Arena. In May 2005, the album was declared a Diamond Record with more than 60,000 copies sold. Touring continued in 2006 with Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj, again performing internationally with concerts in Germany, Sweden, Australia, Canada, and the United States. Thompson features annually at Victory Day celebrations in Perković's hometown of Čavoglave. The band has garnered controversy for its glorification of the World War II Nazi-affiliated Ustaše regime in its songs and concerts.