Afghan Whigs Reunite for First Shows in 13 Years

The Afghan Whigs are to make London's Alexandra Palace the site of their first concert in 13 years.







"My wife Deborah adores [the Afghan Whigs]," ATP's Barry Hogan told Spin magazine. "When we first started dating she would always say we had to get the Afghan Whigs to play for us. I used to love going to see them. They always sounded great, put 110% into their performances … We are truly honoured they chose I'll Be Your Mirror UK to be their first [comeback] show."
Formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Afghan Whigs released six albums between 1988 and 1998. Known for explosive gigs and charging, soulful grunge-rock, they scraped the UK charts in 1993 and 1996 but split in 2001, before ever really breaking the mainstream. Frontman Greg Dulli went on to form the Twilight Singers and later the Gutter Twins, with Mark Lanegan. Despite reuniting to record two new songs in 2006, the band haven't played live since 1999.
News of the Afghan Whigs' performance at I'll Be Your Mirror follows the announcement that Guided By Voices have cancelled their headline slot. "[GBV] are breaking up due to personal reasons and have cancelled all 2012 live appearances," ATP said. But the band – whose original lineup reunited last year – deny they are dissolving. "[We] have not split up and continue to work on new material together," Guided By Voices said. "In addition to the [January] album release of Let's Go Eat the Factory … the band are at work on another album, Class Clown Spots a UFO. [Frontman] Robert Pollard will also be releasing a solo record in March called Mouseman Cloud."
In addition to playing Alexandra Palace in May, the Afghan Whigs will perform at a September All Tomorrow's Parties in New Jersey curated by Dulli. "Greg is a fan of great music, that's why we are excited to work with him," Hogan said. "I am sure it will eclectic, as I know he likes anything from Solomon Burke to Mazzy Star."