The Cult
One of the most popular British rock bands of the second half of the eighties, "The Cult", performed last night at the Belgrade Arena, in front of about three thousand fervent fans. The band opened their third concert in Serbia with the song "Rain", and then the two-hour performance continued with numerous hit-songs, which received ovations from the audience.
- Belgrade, Serbia, good evening! Thank you very much, you are great and we hope that tonight will be a great spectacle! - said singer Ian Astbury and began singing hits such as "Horse Nation", "Sweet Soul Sister," "Saints Are Down" "Dirty Little Rockstar" and others.
When the songs "Nirvana", "Spiritwalker", "Embers" and others came on, almost everyone was up on their feet and carried by the sounds of their favorite songs.
The members of the band continually changed throughout its history, but it has always been led by singer Ian Astbery and guitarist Billy Duffy. When they started playing their most famous song and greatest hit "She Sells Sanctuary", all of the 3000 voices in the Arena sang together. This was actually the song that made them famous in the UK.
Then came the song "Love Removal Machine", thanks to which they found their way onto the American market. This song is on their third album, produced by Rick Rubin, called "Electric", and which is, according to many music connoisseurs, their fiercest album to date. This song gained cult status in America, and, in 1987, the album got into the 40 best-selling list.
- You are a fantastic audience. It is an honor to perform in front of you! - enthusiastically said Astbery.
"The Cult" has been around since 1981, although it got its current name in 1984. First, a gothic-rock band Southern Death Cult was created, named after the Indian tribe that inhabited the delta of the Mississippi River in the 14th and 15 centuries. Then, in 1983, a new band was founded - "Death Cult", but "Death" quickly dropped, and only "The Cult" remained.
After two hours of performing, the band returned for an encore and sang two songs, "Fire Woman" and "Break On Through" by The Doors, which ended the third concert for the Serbian audience.
Band history:
Even though the band got its current name in 1984, The Cult was actually born in 1981, when Ian Astbury founded gothic-rock band Southern Death Cult, calling it after the Indian tribe that inhabited the Mississippi Delta in the 14th and 15th century. Astbury founded a new group in 1983 called Death Cult, which guitarist Billy Duffy joined, but he soon dropped the word "Death," from the band name due to fear of unwanted associations.
Picking up the mysticism and obsession from The Doors, the Led Zeppelin guitar orchestration and the three-chord harmonic strikes from AC / DC, adding elements of post punk gothic rock. The Cult got followers in its native Britain with mid-eighties singles like "She Sells Sanctuary" before breakthrough into the American metal market in the late eighties song "Love Removal Machine."
The first album "Dreamtime" was released in the fall of 1984 with the single "Spiritwalker," which was a big hit on the independent charts. "Love" was released a year later, and come up on fourth place of the UK charts. For the third album, the group changed its band members - Stewart goes on rhythm guitar, joined by bassist Kid Chaos and producer Rick Rubin. The resulting album, "Electric" is considered by many as one of the hottest and hardest albums to date. It stands out with the single "Love Removal Machine," which the helped the band establish a solid fan base in America, placing the album in the top 40 in 1987.
However, tensions between members once again took place leading the band to once again change its band members in 1988. Then, the Cult released "Sonic Temple" album, which was the band’s most successful album ever. The hit single "Fire Woman" was among the Top 10 songs on the U.S. charts, and soon the band started to perform with groups such as Motley Crue and Aerosmith, as well as the opening band for Metallica during their "Damaged Justice" tour. Problems with addiction and frequent quarrels persisted that led Sorum to leave the band and join the Guns N 'Roses. Replaced by drummer Mickey Currie and bassist Charlie Drayton, the Cult released the album "Ceremony" in 1991. The album received very weak reviews and disappointing results. After that, the band went on a three-year break. In 1993, the band released its hits compilation called “Pure Cult” only in UK which is found in the first position in the top-selling albums list. The new album released in 1994, which again received poor reviews and sales. In the spring of 1995, the band splits apart.
The new Cult with Matt Sorum and Martyn LeNoble who join Astbury and Duffy, played the Tibetan Freedom Festival in 1999. Two years later, the band released the album "Beyond Good and Evil" before breaking up again. Astbury joined the former Doors members in a band called "Doors of the 21st Century" later named "Riders on the Storm."
In 2007, Astbury announce that he is joining Duffy in the newest version of the Cult with bassist Chris Weiss and drummer John Tempesta, to release the album "Born Into This."
