The Afghan Whigs at Koko

The Afghan Whigs
Koko, 4 February 2015

I think one of the reasons I love going to see Greg Dulli so much, no matter which band he's playing with (and there has been a few), is just to witness his little dance moves as he groves along to each song. This is a man not immune to a hip wiggle, a shoulder shake, even a Beyonce-esque wagging finger (accompanied of course with a attitude-filled pout). I can't deny it's amusing and makes me break out in a big grin but it's also kind of what makes Dulli so cool, in the same way that when Jagger struts around the stage, it's funny but awesome too.

Tonight Dulli was on top swaggering form, obviously in a great mood and looking good to boot. Which was great news because he may have been performing under the Afghan Whigs name but this really was the Dulli show all the way through. Aside from bassist John Curley (who is very much a silver fox these days), Greg is the only original member of the band and as talented as the new members may be, apart from Dave Rosser (who has worked with Dulli for years now in various bands), they are all just essentially Greg Dulli's backing band. Not that that's a bad thing because the man knows how to put on a damn good show, and value for money too with no less than 22 songs (more if you include all the snippets of other songs Greg also includes the middle of Whigs tracks).

Given this show comes not long after the release of the 21st anniversary re-release of the band's classic album Gentlemen (man, that makes me feel so old!) I had expected it to be heavy on songs from that record but surprisingly there were only two songs from Gentlemen in all and instead they focused on their last album, Do To The Beast, as well as throwing in some nice older tracks to sweeten the deal. The show got off to a tremendous start with two of Do To The Beast's best tracks, Parked Outside and Matamoros, which both sounded incredible. The fact that these songs fitted in seamlessly with the older classic material is a testimony to how good their comeback album is (I actually think it was unfairly overlooked in many of the 2014 year-end lists). 

Gentlemen did get a brief look-in though with the still sublime Debonair and of course, Gentleman, (there was a hilariously cool moment when the lights turned off after Greg sang "Now turn off the light", and when they were brought up again, Dulli was wagging his finger at us all, in true diva mode). I suspect since the early shows of their return had so much Gentlemen material in them, the band is probably fed up with playing those songs but I don't think a Whigs show would be complete without at least those two tracks.

The first surprise of the night came a quarter of the way through with a rare outing for Turn On The Water, a song I haven't heard them play in years. I'm not sure how they did it but somehow at the end they managed to turn one of the band's grungiest numbers into a cover of Sylvan Esso's electropop tune Coffee as Dulli crooned "My baby does the hanky panky" and making it sound both sinister and beautiful. Similarly in the middle of I Am Fire the song became Tusk by Fleetwood Mac, which of course was utterly thrilling to me. Instead of shouting "Tusk!" as in the original, Greg instead ended the show on a seductive, whispered "tusk" and a grin. Only he could make Tusk sound like an old soul song.

The show also had plenty of tracks from one of my favourite Whigs albums, Black Love and maybe it was nostalgia but I actually thought these stole the show, in particular Crime Scene, Part One and My Enemy (which has the greatest opening line ever - "I heard the rumours baby, if what they say is true, they say I killed a brother, to fall in love with you" - snarled by Dulli in a way you totally believe its true). And I must admit I jumped up and down in excitement when they played Son Of The South from their 1990 album Up In It. They actually played it the last time they played Koko back in 2012 but tonight it sounds meaner and with even more swagger than ever.

Funnily enough, but maybe not surprising given what a superb interpreter of song Dulli has always been, the two most magical moments of the night came from covers. The first was a completely solo performance, with Dulli alone at his piano, of Jeff Buckley's forlorn Morning Theft, which sent chills despite the fact that Greg's voice is so different to Buckley's smooth multi-octive tones, making it sound like a beautifully sad hymn. The other cover came at the beginning of the encore when Dulli suddenly appeared on the balcony among the crowd singing Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic by The Police. He then walked down the side stairs onto the stage and once again jumped into the crowd, singing his way to the middle of the venue before making his way back again.

The encore also proved how much this is Dulli's show when they played Teenage Wristband, a song by his other band Twilight Singers (who I'm assuming are defunct now but given that is as much Dulli's thing as the Whigs, he could always revive it whenever he wanted). It definitely sounded great and fit right in but I would have liked to have heard a Whigs rarity in its place.

Since it was first released on Black Love back in the 90s, and even through the Twilight Singers years, Faded has become the standard end-song for Dulli. I totally get it because its epic and builds beautifully and is without a doubt his Purple Rain (it doesn't steal from it but it must have been inspired by it). It always makes a rousing finish but during the show someone in the audience called for Milez Is Ded, the brilliant, anthemic end song from Congregation and Dulli laughed and said "Don't you think that is so not a middle-of-the-show song? That's a song you end on" before briefly attempting a more middle-gig slowed down lounge version as a joke. But it's such a shame they didn't end on Milez Is Ded as, although its been performed quite a few times in the States over the past few years, they haven't played that song in the UK since the 90s. Faded did sound as good as ever but I think Milez Is Ded would have been the cherry on the top of this excellent show.
After, while heading to the exit, I heard two guys chatting about it behind me. "That main guy is really good isn't he?" one said. Damn right he is: one thing's for sure Dulli never disappoints.