Speaking to The Afghan Whigs‘ frontman Greg Dulli after their superb show at Theatre Fairmount, he tells us that tonight’s gig was his favourite of the entire North American run of dates. Maybe a little surprising considering it’s far from sold out but a ringing endorsement of how Montreal crowds, and venues, make bands feel more than welcome when they visit.
Up first tonight though is an artist who never fails to put a smile on the faces of any audience, Har Mar Superstar. This slightly overweight 39 year old comes across like Danny Devito being possessed by the ghosts of Marvin Gaye and Prince and always gives 100% in his performance as he swaggers and twists through his blend of soul, R’n’B and pop.
As his set progresses he begins removing items of clothing, always with a glint in his eye, and at one point, even manages to sing while balancing on his head and shoulders. He’s impossible to dislike and even the serious alt-rock fans who are here for the headliners find themselves applauding enthusiastically before heading to buy some Har Mar merch.
The Afghan Whigs have been a well respected act in alternative music for over 30 years now and their album Gentlemen remains in my personal top ten albums of all time. Sadly they choose to only perform a couple of tracks from that album tonight but there are no fillers on show as they tear through a 20-song set beginning with the opening two songs from this year’s excellent In Spades album.
Dulli’s voice sounds as impactful and soulful as ever and he’s surrounded himself by some stunning musicians, not least his long-time bandmate John Curley on bass. Patrick Keeler from The Raconteurs is mesmerizing on drums, while Rick G. Nelson and Jon Skibic ably assist from opposite sides of the stage.
The Afghan Whigs last played Montreal back in 2014. Back then “we played as a six-piece band” Dulli says ahead of the song Can Rova. He’s referring, of course, to guitarist Dave Rosser, who had then recently joined the band and played on both of their reunion albums. Rosser died on June 28th this year following a long battle with colon cancer. “This was one of his favourite songs” the frontman continues, “so we’re going to play it for him…. and for you”. The track segues into Jeff Buckley’s Last Goodbye. It’s a beautifully fitting tribute to their friend and colleague.
What Jail Is Like, from the aforementioned Gentlemen album, follows and sounds glorious. During Going To Town, Dulli takes a seat behind the keyboard as a couple slow dances in the middle of the room. He’s soon back up with his guitar, being joined by Har Mar Superstar on vocals for one song, standing at the edge of the stage serenading the girls on the front row for another.
“Whenever we tour North America there’s always one place that’s the smallest crowd… and it’s always you guys!” Dulli jokes. “But you give us such a great reception, I feel like I’m playing an arena right now”. Dulli’s other band, The Twilight Singers’ Teenage Wristband sounds every inch the stadium anthem too, before Summer’s Kiss and Faded from the timeless Black Love album bring the evening to a magnificent end.
Many bands this far into their career would be touring to knock out all the old favourites in an effort to please their ageing fanbase. The Afghan Whigs are not that band. Their recent material sounds as fresh and dynamic as almost anything they’ve ever produced and I look forward to seeing where their career leads to next.
Setlist:
Birdland
Arabian Heights
Matamoros
Debonair
You Want Love
(Pleasure Club cover)
Light as a Feather
Oriole
Toy Automatic
Can Rova / Last Goodbye
(Jeff Buckley cover)
What Jail Is Like
Algiers
Going to Town (slight return)
Demon in Profile
It Kills
John the Baptist
Somethin Hot
Lost in the Woods
Encore:
Teenage Wristband
(The Twilight Singers cover)
Summer’s Kiss
Faded
Review & photos – Steve Gerrard
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