After 40 years, the Afghan Whigs still sound like no one else and theyre not done yet

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For fans of the Afghan Whigs, the first half of 2026 has been a glorious time.The beloved Cincinnati-born band is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a tour spanning its entire career, including two new singles the band released earlier this year.The tour wraps up in Southern California this week with a string of shows — the Bellwether on Wednesday, the Observatory in Santa Ana on Friday and Pappy & Harriet’s in the desert Sunday.If ever there was a band that deserved this celebratory victory lap, it is the Whigs.

Having started with iconic label Sub Pop, then becoming alternative heroes in the ‘90s with an insane sting of albums, including the cult classic “Gentlemen,” as well as “Black Love” and “1965,” the group broke up before reuniting for good in 2011 for an equally impressive second act.The Times spoke with frontman Greg Dulli about keeping the band together for four decades, Muhammad Ali, how the Cincinnati Reds inspired his desire to come to L.A., ‘90s nostalgia and more.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.It’s rare for artists to get to look back.

I know this happened during COVID, when artists finally had time to do so.But once in a while, it’s fun to just appreciate everything you’ve accomplished.

So how much fun are you having on this tour?Yes, the first couple of shows we played we came out with eight songs off eight different albums and that was really fun to do.That we have that many different records and still want to play those songs, it’s a gift.What’s funny when you go back to them too, of course you and I have talked about this so many times over the years, your relationship with the songs changes.

Are there ones right now that you’re really appreciating in a different way, or you realize how often songs start out to be prophetic?I don’t know about prophetic, but I will say that playing songs fr...