QRO’s review of The Afghan Whigs at Koko in London, U.K. on May 30th, 2017
Photos of The Afghan Whigs at Apollo Theatre in New York, NY on May 23rd, 2017
QRO’s review of The Afghan Whigs at Koko on February 4th, 2015
Photos of The Afghan Whigs at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY on October 5th, 2014
Photos of The Afghan Whigs at 2014 Riot Fest in Chicago, IL
QRO’s review of The Afghan Whigs at Manchester Cathedral in Manchester, U.K. on July 14th, 2014
Photos of The Afghan Whigs at SXSW 2013 in Austin, TX
Photos of The Afghan Whigs at 2012 Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Spain
Photos of The Afghan Whigs at 2012 All Tomorrow’s Parties in London, U.K.
There are right ways and wrong ways to do epic emotion. Too often, it comes off as overdone pleading, as if just adding to the volume and instrumentation will add to the emotion, a ‘more is more’ approach that overwhelms the listener. But then there’s the times when just the right level of sonic power is combined with emotional power, such as The Afghan Whigs’ How Do You Burn?.
While Burn starts with the driving rock of “I’ll Make You See God”, it’s not all thrusting frontman Greg Dulli. There’s the world-weary & -wise Whigs of “Please, Baby, Please”, not to mention the strong, growing presence of slow burn “Concealer”. And even when Dulli & co. get slyer, such as on “The Getaway” & “Catch a Colt”, it’s with a darker, ominous nature.
Once of the nineties Seattle nineties grunge scene, The Afghan Whigs are by now many years into their twenty-first century reunion (Burn is their first album not on famed grunge imprint Sub Pop in this century/millennium). Yet they’re still putting out some great music, doing it the right way.