The Afghan Whigs have new music and a packed itinerary on the way. The alt-rock mainstays just announced their new album ‘Soft Control’, out Aug. 21 via Royal Cream/BMG, and dropped its latest single, “Jungle Roux,” across streaming platforms. It’s a strong return from a group that’s spent decades carving out one of rock’s most distinctive catalogs.
The quintet pairs the album with the “Soft Control Tour,” running through Europe and North America from September through November. Following a July performance at Brugge’s Cactus Festival, the group kick off Sept. 19 at Stylus in Leeds, with European stops including Glasgow’s SWG3 Galvanizers, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London, Trabendo in Paris, Cologne’s Luxor, De Roma in Antwerp, and Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. The North American run begins Nov. 4 at Orlando’s Beacham Theater and rolls through Warsaw in Brooklyn, Toronto’s The Concert Hall, The Metro in Chicago, Dallas’ Granada Theater, and Austin’s Scoot Inn.
Support comes from strong company on both legs. Ed Harcourt opens the European and U.K. shows, while Minneapolis country-soul-psych-rock outfit Night Moves takes the North American dates. The group enter the run with real momentum, having played 20 shows earlier this year, including a sold-out night at the iconic 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. Tickets for all shows go on sale June 5.
“Soft Control Tour” Dates:
July 10 – Brugge, Belgium – Cactus Festival
Sept. 19 – Leeds, UK – Stylus
Sept. 20 – Nottingham, UK – The Palais
Sept. 22 – Glasgow, UK – SWG3 Galvanizers
Sept. 23 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz
Sept. 24 – London, UK – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Sept. 26 – Brighton, UK – Chalk
Sept. 27 – Paris, FR – Trabendo
Sept. 28 – Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso
Sept. 30 – Cologne, DE – Luxor
Oct. 1 – Liege, BE – OM
Oct. 3 – Eindhoven, Netherlands
Oct. 4 – Antwerp, BE – De Roma
Oct. 5 – Brussels, BE – Ancienne Belgique
Nov. 4 – Orlando, FL – Beacham Theater
Nov. 5 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
Nov. 7 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Nov. 8 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore SoundStage
Nov. 10 – Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw
Nov. 11 – Toronto, ON – The Concert Hall
Nov. 13 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue
Nov. 14 – Chicago, IL – The Metro
Nov. 15 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
Nov. 19 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
Nov. 20 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
Nov. 21 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn