Cincinnati-born grunge rock band The Afghan Whigs are coming to New York City. The original group emerged from lead vocalist Greg Dulli’s former band, The Black Republicans, in 1986. Their debut album, Big Top Halloween, was released in 1988 under the band’s own label. Despite the fact that few records were made, the album caught the attention of Jonathan Poneman, who helped the group sign with the label Sub Pop.
While signed with Sub Pop, the band produced two albums, Up in It and Congregation, both of which put a spotlight on them in the grunge scene. After the success of Congregation, the Whigs moved to Elektra Records in 1993, where they produced one of their most notable albums, Gentleman. The album earned praise from Rolling Stone and The Village Voice, and by 1996 had sold 130,000 copies. The band was featured regularly on MTV, played widely on college radio, and had music featured on My So-Called Life.
Two years after signing with Sony, the band released 1965 in 1998. This would be their last album, as the Whigs disbanded in 2001, stating it was an amicable split but not a breakup. In 2006, the group reunited for a retrospective, and in 2011 the band officially got back together.
Join The Afghan Whigs at Webster Hall on April 30th at 7 PM, supported by Buffalo, New York indie rockers Mercury Rev. Tickets went on sale Friday, January 23rd, and are available now here.
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