The emotional anthropology of Greg Dulli

With the return of the Afghan Whigs, the nineties revival is an irrefutable fact. The guitar band from Cincinnati made its Sub Pop debut in 1990, before the term “grunge” was invented, and played its last concert (before its current reunion tour) in 1999, when the golden years of guitar rock were already long gone.

Frontman Greg Dulli and his Whigs started adding a dash of worldly soul to dark, passionate guitar rock in 1986. Over the past decade Dulli has remained the creditable focal point of the Twilight Singers or, with his buddy Mark Lanegan, the Gutter Twins. But he himself would agree that the albums he made in the 1990s – Congregation (1992), Gentlemen (1993), Black Love (1996), and 1965 (1998) – are the most memorable among his fans. This quatrefoil is thus also the central focus of the current concert tour.
Several requests for reunion shows have been made over the past few years, but circumstances were now ideal. During one of Dulli’s acoustic tours nearly two years ago, Whigs bassist John Curley took to the stage with him a few times. And last summer, on the road with the Twilight Singers, guitarist Rick McCollum also joined in occasionally. Some time later, when the I’ll Be Your Mirror festival (organised by All Tomorrow’s Parties) asked Dulli to compile his favourite festival line-up, and also happened to address the question of a possible reunion, everything gained momentum. In interviews, Dulli refers to it as “the perfect storm”. “First, the plan was that we would replace Guided By Voices for one concert, but before we knew it, thirty shows had been lined up.”

The first show at the New York Bowery Ballroom was a smash. Accompanied by drummer Cully Symington and guitarist Dave Rosser, Dulli, Curley, and McCollum proved that the holy fire is still burning. Indeed, the singer especially, even at 47, is still in top form. He is fitter than twenty years ago, both physically and mentally. “It feels like a kind of emotional anthropology,” he recently admitted. “I explored how somebody who lived and breathed then actually experienced those stories.” The group has also recorded a new song, “See and Don’t See”, a cover of an obscure R&B gem by Marie “Queenie” Lyons from 1970.

The Afghan Whigs 13/6, 20.00, SOLD OUT!,
Koninklijk Circus/Cirque Royal, Onderrichtsstraat 81 rue de l’Enseignement, Brussel/Bruxelles,
02-218.20.15, info@cirque-royal.org, www.cirque-royal.org