Greg Dulli – and I absolutely mean this as a compliment – is a scary dude. He was a growling presence fronting The Afghan Whigs through the ‘90s, while subsequent glum ‘n glummer escapades with Mark Lanegan under their Gutter Twins alias were often intense affairs. Those who were there will never forget the gig at Dublin’s Academy at which a punter flouted the interdiction against flash photography. The glare Dulli threw him could have bored a hole through a lead-lined coffin.
The darkness and the mystery swirling at the core of his musical persona are utilised to devastating effect on In Spades, The Afghan Whigs’ latest album – their second since Dulli put the band back together in 2012. The record is a true tour de force, with pile driver guitars, ear-shattering blues riffs and the frontman proceeding from agonised croon to deeply miffed demon-howl.
The storm clouds didn’t just drop out of the sky. During the recording, in Dulli’s adopted home of New Orleans, several individuals close to him were unwell. Death was in the air – and you can hear it in the music.
“When life happens to you it is going to affect what you do,” reflects the singer. “That’s true of everyone’s life. When good things and bad things occur, they wash over you. If you’re an artist it is certainly going to inform what you do.”
Another influence was the batshit crazy American election. Dulli isn’t gung-ho political. Nonetheless the mania of the campaign trail seeped into In Spades – which we are here going to boldly herald as the first great rock album in the Age of Trump.
“Unless you’re hiding in a basement without access to news, things are going to influence you,” says Dulli. “That Presidential campaign was one of the ugliest, noisiest things I have ever encountered in my years on earth.”
On the subject of American tragedies, Dulli (52) was deeply shaken by the passing of Prince. Growing up in the Midwest, the Cincinnati native had been inspired by the purple prodigy’s success. If he could break out of Minneapolis, why couldn’t Dulli claw free of Ohio?
“He was a big musical hero for me,” notes the singer. “I first saw him play when I was in high school and it was life changing. I’ve followed him since I was 17. I must have seen him 20 times – I’ve seen him perform more than any other artist. It was like losing a family member, I was devastated. To see someone rise to notoriety who wasn’t from the coasts... it was absolutely an inspiration.”
The Afghan Whigs first came to attention during the second wave of grunge, with their 1993 hit ‘Debonair’ raising somewhat of a ruckus. However, Dulli never regarded himself as a grunge artist and the pigeonholing chaffed. Two decades on there’s a sense he hasn’t quite forgiven the music industry for painting him (inaccurately) as an Eddie Vedder clone.
“I’ve always been what I want to be,” he asserts. “Any time someone puts a label on you – it’s on them, not you. I reject those things. I play rock and roll – that’s the most accurate way to define what I do.”
Another irritant in the ’90s was the major label bullshit circus. An independent spirit, Dulli didn’t take kindly to industry machinations. With the Whigs today signed to the original American indie, Sub Pop, he’s in a far happier place.
“Dealing with labels had become such a chore,” he admits. “I honestly felt I had entered politics. That isn’t what I got into it for. It’s so much easier now – I get to do what I want, which is to make really great rock.”
The Afghan Whigs give In Spades a live airing at the Academy, Dublin on May 28.