The Cult
Encyclopedia
The Cult are a British rock
band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain
in the mid 1980s as a post-punk
band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary
", before breaking mainstream in the United States
in the late 1980s as a hard rock
band with singles such as "Love Removal Machine
" and "Fire Woman
". The band fuses a "heavy metal revivalist" sound with the "pseudo-mysticism ... of The Doors
[and] the guitar-orchestrations of Led Zeppelin
... while adding touches of post-punk goth rock". Since their earliest form in Bradford
during 1981, the band has had various line-ups, and the longest-serving members are vocalist Ian Astbury
and guitarist Billy Duffy
, the band's two songwriters.
After moving to London
, the band released the album Love
in 1985, which charted at #4 in the United Kingdom
, and which included singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary" and "Rain
". In the late 1980s, the band dropped their post-punk sound in favour of hard rock with their third album, Electric
; the polish on this new sound was facilitated by Rick Rubin
, who produced the record. Their fourth album, Sonic Temple
, proceeded in a similar vein, and these two LPs enabled them to break into the North America
n market. By the early 1990s, the band was fraying behind the scenes, due to alcohol abuse
and off-stage tensions, leading to a split-up in 1995. The band reunited in 1999 and recorded the album Beyond Good and Evil
, and they reissued all of their albums in Asia and Eastern Europe in 2003 and Japan in 2004. In 2006, the band reformed again to perform a series of worldwide tours. In October 2007, the band released the album Born into This
, on the Roadrunner Records
label. In July 2009, Astbury announced that The Cult would not record or produce any more studio albums, focusing on LPs and Digital Releases instead for new material, though he eventually changed his mind and declared that there will be a new album in the near future.
, where vocalist and songwriter Ian Astbury formed a band called Southern Death Cult
. The name was chosen with a double meaning
, and was derived from the 14th century Native American religion, the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
or Southern Death Cult as it sometimes known, from the Mississippi
delta area, but it was also a stab at what the band viewed was the centralisation of power in Southern England
(including that of the music industry); there has long been a perceived notion of a North-South divide
based on social, historic and economic reasons. Astbury was joined in the band by Buzz Burrows (guitar), Barry Jepson (bass) and Aki Nawaz Qureshi
(drums); they performed their first show at the Queen's Hall in their hometown of Bradford on 29 October 1981. The band were at the forefront of a new emerging style of music, in the form of post-punk
and gothic rock
(then known as positive-punk), they achieved critical acclaim from the press and music fans very early on.
The band signed to independent record label Situation Two
, an offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records
, and released a three-track, triple A-side single, Moya, during this period. They toured through England
headlining some shows on their own and also touring with Bauhaus
and Theatre of Hate
. The band played their final performance in Manchester
during February 1983, meaning after only sixteen months the band was over. A compilation under the name The Southern Death Cult was released, this being a collection of the single, radio sessions with John Peel
for Radio One
and live performances - one of which was recorded by an audience member with a tape recorder.
In April 1983, Astbury teamed up with guitarist Billy Duffy and formed the band "Death Cult". Duffy had previously been in The Nosebleeds (along with Morrissey
), Lonesome No More and then Theatre of Hate. In addition to Astbury and Duffy, the band also included Jamie Stewart
(bass) and Raymond Taylor Smith (later known as Ray Mondo) (drums), both from the Harrow, London
based post-punk band, Ritual. Death Cult made their live debut in Oslo
, Norway
in late June 1983 and released the Death Cult
EP
in July 1983, then toured throughout Europe. In September 1983, Mondo was deported to his home country of Sierra Leone
and replaced by Nigel Preston, formerly of Theatre of Hate. The single "God's Zoo" was released in October 1983. Another European tour, with UK dates, followed later that autumn. To tone down the gothic connotations of their name, and to gain broader appeal, the band changed its name to "The Cult" in January 1984 before appearing on the (UK) Channel 4
television show, The Tube
.
The Cult's first studio record, Dreamtime, was recorded at Rockfield Studios, in Monmouth, Wales in 1984. The record was originally to be produced by Joe Julian, but after having already recorded the drum tracks, the band decided to replace him with John Brand. The record was ultimately produced by Brand, but guitarist Duffy has said that the drum tracks used on the record were those produced by Julian, as Preston by that time had become too unreliable.
The band recorded the songs which later became known as "Butterflies", "(The) Gimmick", "A Flower in the Desert", "Horse Nation", "Spiritwalker", "Bad Medicine (Waltz)", "Dreamtime", "With Love" (later known as "Ship of Fools", and also "Sea and Sky"), "Bone Bag", "Too Young", "83rd Dream", and one untitled outtake. It is unknown what the outtake was, or whether it was developed into a song at a later date. Songs like "Horse Nation" showed Astbury's already intense interest in Native American issues, with the lyrics to "Horse Nation", "See them prancing, they come neighing, to a horse nation", taken almost verbatim from the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
, while "Spiritwalker" dealt with shamanism
, and the record's title and title track are overtly influenced by Australian Aboriginal
beliefs.
On 4 April 1984, The Cult released the single "Spiritwalker", which reached #1 on the independent charts in the UK, and acted as a teaser for their forthcoming album Dreamtime. This was followed that summer by a second single, "Go West (Crazy Spinning Circles)", before the release of Dreamtime in September; the album reached #21 in the UK, and sold over 100,000 copies in Britain alone. On 12 July 1984, the band performed five songs live in the BBC
Maida Vale 5 studio. Both before and after the album's release, The Cult toured extensively throughout Europe and England before recording another single, "Resurrection Joe" (UK #74), released that December. Following a Christmas support slot with Big Country
, The Cult toured Europe with support from The Mission
(then called The Sisterhood). Dreamtime was released initially only in Britain, but after its success, and as The Cult's popularity grew worldwide, it was issued later in approximately 30 countries.
", which peaked at #15 in the UK and spent a total of 23 weeks in the Top 100. The song was recently voted #18 in VH1's Indie 100. In June 1985, following his increasingly erratic behaviour, Preston was fired from the band. Big Country's drummer Mark Brzezicki
was picked to replace Preston, who died in 1992. Brzezicki was also included in the video for "She Sells Sanctuary". The Cult recorded their second album, Love
in July and August 1985. The band's music and image shifted from their punk-oriented roots to 1960s psychedelia influences. Love was a chart success, peaking at #4 in the UK and selling 100,000 copies there towards a total of 500,000 copies throughout Europe , as well as 100,000 in Australia and 500,000 copies in the United States. To date, the record has sold over two and a half million copies worldwide.
From mid-1985 to 1986, the band went on a worldwide tour with new drummer Les Warner
(who had previously played with Julian Lennon
and Johnny Thunders
). Two more official singles from the Love album followed; "Rain" (charting in the UK at #17) and "Revolution" (charting in the UK at #30). Neither of these singles charted in the US. Another single, "Nirvana", was issued only in Poland
. The album version of "Rain", as well as the remix "(Here Comes the) Rain", were used in the Italian horror film Dèmoni 2
. Once back in England, the band booked themselves into the Manor Studios
in Oxfordshire, with producer Steve Brown (who had produced Love), and recorded over a dozen new songs. The band were unhappy with the sound of their new album, titled Peace, and they decided to go to New York
so that producer Rick Rubin
could remix the first single, "Love Removal Machine".
Rubin agreed to work with the band, but only if they rerecorded the song. Rubin eventually talked them into rerecording the entire album. The band's record company, Beggars Banquet, was displeased with this, as two months and £250,000 had already been spent on the record. However, after hearing the initial New York recording, Beggars Banquet agreed to proceed. The first single, "Love Removal Machine", was released in February 1987, and the new version of the album appeared in April that same year, now renamed as Electric
, reaching #4 and eventually outselling Love. The band toured with Kid Chaos
(also known as "Haggis" and "The Kid") on bass, with Stewart on rhythm guitar
. Two more singles, "Lil Devil" and "Wildflower", were released during 1987. A few tracks from the original Peace album appeared on the single versions of "Love Removal Machine", and "Lil Devil". The full Peace album would not be released until 2000, when it was included as Disc 3 of the Rare Cult box set.
In the US, The Cult, now consisting of Astbury, Duffy, Stewart, Warner and Kid Chaos, were supported by the then unknown Guns N' Roses
. The band also appeared at Roskilde Festival
in Denmark
in June 1987. When the world tour wound through Australia, the band wrecked £30,000 worth of equipment, and as a result they could not tour Japan, as no company would rent them new equipment. At the end of the tour the Electric album had been certified Gold in the UK, and sold roughly 3 million copies worldwide , but the band were barely speaking to each other by then. Haggis left the band at the end of the Electric tour to form The Four Horsemen
for Rubin's Def American label. Astbury and Duffy fired Warner and their management team Grant/Edwards, and moved to Los Angeles
with original bassist Stewart. Warner sued the band several times for his firing, as well as for what he felt were unpaid royalties due to him for his performance on the Electric album, resulting in lengthy court battles. The Cult signed a new management deal and wrote 21 new songs for their next record.
For the next album, Stewart returned to playing bass, and John Webster was brought in to play keyboard
s. The band used Chris Taylor to play drums during rehearsals and record the demos, with Kiss
drummer Eric Singer
performing during the second demo recording sessions. The Cult eventually recruited session-drummer Mickey Curry
to fill the drumming role and Aerosmith
sound engineer, Bob Rock
, to produce. Recorded in Vancouver
, Canada
from October to December 1988, the Sonic Temple
record went Top 10 in both the UK and the US, where it was certified Gold and Platinum respectively. The band went on tour in support of the new album and new single "Fire Woman
" (UK #15) (NZ #1), with yet another new drummer, Matt Sorum
, and Webster as keyboard player. The next single, "Edie (Ciao Baby)
" (UK #25) has become a regular song at concerts for many years.
In Europe, the band toured with Aerosmith
, and in the US, after releasing another single "Sun King" (UK #42), they spent 1989 touring in support of Metallica
before heading out on their own headlining tour later that same year. A fourth single, "Sweet Soul Sister
" (UK #38), was released in February 1990, with the video having been filmed at Wembley Arena
, London, on 25 November 1989. "Sweet Soul Sister" was partially written in Paris
and was inspired by the bohemian
lifestyle of that city. Released as a single in February 1990, the song was another hit in Britain, and reportedly reached number one on the rock charts in Brazil
. After playing a show in Atlanta, Georgia
, in February 1990, the band's management told Astbury that his father had just died of cancer. As a result, the remainder of the tour was cancelled after a final leg of shows were performed in April. After the tour ended, the band were on the verge of splitting due to Stewart retiring and moving to Canada to be with his wife, and Sorum leaving to join Guns N' Roses
.
In 1990, Astbury organized the Gathering of the Tribes
festival in Los Angeles and San Francisco with artists such as Soundgarden
, Ice-T
, Indigo Girls
, Queen Latifah
, Iggy Pop
, The Charlatans, The Cramps
and Public Enemy appearing. This two day festival drew 40,000 people, and inspired Lollapalooza
, which started in 1991. Also in 1990, a ten CD box set was released in Britain, containing rare songs from The Cult's singles. The CDs in this box set were all issued as picture discs with rice paper
covers, housed in either a white box called "Singles Collection", or a black box called "E.P. Collection '84 - '90". In 1991, director Oliver Stone
offered Astbury the role of Jim Morrison
in Stone's film The Doors
. He declined the role because he was not happy with the way Morrison was represented in the film, and the role was ultimately played by Val Kilmer
.
played bass and drums. During the actual album recording sessions, Curry was recruited again to play drums, with Charley Drayton
on bass, and various other performers. Astbury and Duffy's working relationship had disintegrated by that time, with the two men reportedly rarely even in the studio together during recording. The resulting album Ceremony was released to mixed responses. The album climbed to US #34, but sales were not as impressive as the previous three records, only selling around one million copies worldwide. Only two official singles were released from the record: the explosive and Cult definitive "Wild Hearted Son" (UK #34, Canada #41) and "Heart of Soul" (UK #50), although "White" was released as a single only in Canada, "Sweet Salvation" was released as a single (as "Dulce Salvación") in Argentina
in 1992, and the title track "Ceremony" was released in Spain
.
The Cult's Ceremonial Stomp tour went through Europe in 1991 and North America in 1992. In 1991 The Cult played a show at the Marquee Club
in London, which was recorded and released in February 1993, packaged with some vinyl UK copies of their first greatest hits release. Only a handful of CD copies of it were ever manufactured originally, however it was subsequently reissued on CD in 1999. An incomplete bootleg
video of this show is also in circulation.
The band were sued by the parents of the Native American boy pictured on the cover of Ceremony, for alleged exploitation and for the unauthorized use of the child's image. This image of the boy is also burned in the video for "Wild Hearted Son". This lawsuit delayed the release of Ceremony in many countries including South Korea
and Thailand
, which did not see the record's release until late 1992, and it was unreleased in Turkey
until The Cult played several shows in Istanbul
in June 1993.
A world tour followed with backing from future Thin Lizzy
drummer Michael Lee
and bassist Kinley Wolfe, and keyboardist John Sinclair returning one last time, and the Gathering of the Tribes moved to the UK. Here artists such as Pearl Jam
performed. The warm-up gig to the show, in a small nightclub, was dedicated to the memory of Nigel Preston, who had died a few weeks earlier at the age of 31. Following the release of the single "The Witch" (#9 in Australia) and the performance of a song for the 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer
movie soundtrack entitled "Zap City", produced by Steve Brown and originally a B-side
to "Lil' Devil", two volumes of remixes of "She Sells Sanctuary", called Sanctuary Mixes MCMXCIII, volumes one and two, and in support of Pure Cult: for Rockers, Ravers, Lovers, and Sinners, a greatest hits compilation which debuted at #1 on the British charts and later went to number one in Portugal
, Astbury and Duffy fired the "backing band" and recruited Craig Adams
(The Mission) and Scott Garrett for performances across Europe
in 1993, with some shows featuring Mike Dimkich on rhythm guitar. This tour marked the first time the band performed in Turkey, Greece
, and the Slovak Republic
.
in October 1994, produced by Bob Rock. The self-titled 'Cult' album is commonly referred to as the 'Black Sheep' album by fans of the group. Astbury referred to the record as "very personal and very revealing" songs about his life, with the subject matter ranging from sexual abuse at the age of 15, to the death of Nigel Preston, to his directionless years spent in Glasgow
in the late 1970s. The record achieved little success, only reaching #69 in the US and #21 in the UK. Duffy remarked that he thought that the record wouldn't sell well due to the offensive lyrics. The record went to number one in Portugal also, but quickly dropped out of sight. The single "Coming Down (Drug Tongue)" was released with the band going on tour in support of the new album. Only one more single, "Star", was officially released with a live appearance on UK TV show The Word
. "Star" began life in 1986 as "Tom Petty" and was recorded at the "Sonic Temple" demo sessions as 'Starchild", being dropped by the band during rehearsals. In 1993 the song was resurrected and was finally completed for the record in 1994 as, just simply, "Star".
When the band began the Beauty's On The Streets tour in winter 1994, they augmented the line up with James Stevenson
on rhythm guitar. As with the Ceremony record several years earlier, no other official singles were released, but several other songs were released on a strictly limited basis: "Sacred Life" was released in Spain and the Netherlands
, "Be Free" was issued in Canada and France
, "Saints Are Down" was issued in Greece, but none of the songs gained much commercial success. During this tour, The Cult made their first ever appearance in Norway.
in March, and the band split up citing unspecified problems on a recent South American tour. Astbury started up a garage band
called Holy Barbarians a few months later. The band made their debut at the 100 Club
in London in February 1996 and released their first (and only) record in May 1996, and toured throughout North America and Europe for the rest of 1996. The band started writing material for a second record in 1997, but the band was dissolved and Astbury began writing and recording a solo record. Throughout 1997 and 1998 Astbury recorded his solo record, originally to be titled Natural Born Guerilla, later called High Time Amplifier. Ultimately the record remained unreleased until June 2000 when it was released under the name Spirit\Light\Speed. Astbury played one solo concert in 1999.
In November 1996, a number of CD reissues were released: the band's American record company released High Octane Cult, a slightly updated "greatest hits" compilation released only in the US and Japan; The Southern Death Cult, a remastered edition of the fifteen-song compilation CD; a ten-song compilation CD by Death Cult called Ghost Dance, consisting of the untitled four-song EP, the single "God's Zoo", and four unreleased songs from a radio broadcast; and a remastered repackaging of the Dreamtime album, containing only the ten original songs from the record in their original playing order and almost completely different but original artwork. Dreamtime Live at the Lyceum
was also remastered and issued on video and for the first time on CD, with the one unreleased song from the concert, "Gimmick".
bassist Martyn LeNoble
. Their first official concert was at the Tibetan Freedom Concert
in June 1999, after having rehearsed at shows in the Los Angeles area. The band's 1999 Cult Rising reunion tour resulted in a sold out 30 date tour of the US, ending with 8 consecutive sold out nights at the LA House of Blues
. In 2000, the band toured South Africa
for the first time, and North and South America, and contributed the song "Painted on My Heart
" to the soundtrack of the movie Gone In 60 Seconds
. The song was featured prominently and the melody was fused into parts of the score. In June, Astbury's long-delayed solo record was finally released as Spirit\Light\Speed, but it failed to gain much success. In November 2000, another authorised greatest hits compilation was released, Pure Cult: The Singles 1984–1995, along with an accompanying DVD, which was later certified gold in Canada.
In November 2000, Beggars Banquet released 15000 copies of a six-disc boxset (with a bonus seventh disc of remixes for the first 5000 copies) titled Rare Cult. The boxset consists of album out-takes, demos, radio broadcasts, and album B-sides. It is most notable for including the withdrawn "Peace" album in its entirety. In 2001, the band signed to Atlantic Records
and recorded a new album, Beyond Good and Evil
, originally being produced by Mick Jones
of Foreigner
, until Jones bowed out to tour with Foreigner. Astbury and Duffy co-wrote a song with Jones, an odd occurrence, as in the past, neither Astbury or Duffy would co-write their material. Bob Rock was the producer, with Martyn LeNoble and Chris Wyse
as recording bassists, as Mike Dimkich played rhythm guitar on tour, and Matt Sorum
returning as drummer. Although Sorum has previously toured with the band on the Sonic Temple tour in 1989, this was the first time that he had recorded a studio album with the band.
However Beyond Good and Evil was not the comeback record the band had hoped for. Despite reaching #37 in the US, #22 in Canada, and #25 in Spain, sales quickly dropped, only selling roughly 500,000 copies worldwide. The first single "Rise", reached #41 in the US, and #2 on the mainstream rock charts, but Atlantic Records quickly pulled the song from radio playlists. Astbury would later describe the experience with Atlantic to be "soul destroying", after Atlantic tried to tamper with the lyrics, the record cover, and choice of singles from the record.
After the first single from the record, the band's working relationship with Atlantic was on paper only, with Atlantic pulling "Rise" from the radio stations playlists, and stopping all promotion of the record. The second single "Breathe" was only released as a radio station promo, and the final single "True Believers" was only on a compilation sampler disc released in January 2002 (after The Cult's tour had already ended). Despite "True Believers" receiving radio airplay in Australia, both singles went largely unnoticed, and both Astbury and Duffy walked away from the project. LeNoble rejoined the band for the initial dates in early 2001, and Billy Morrison
filled in on bass for the majority of the 2001 tour.
The European tour of 2001 was canceled, largely due to security concerns after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the band flew back to the US to tour again with Aerosmith. But the eleven-week tour was considered by fans to be a disaster, as the band played only a brief rundown of their greatest hits. In October 2001, a show at the Grand Olympic Auditorium
in Los Angeles was filmed for release on DVD. After the tour ended in December 2001, the band took most of 2002 off, apart from a few shows in the US to promote the release of the DVD, with Scott Garrett and Craig Adams rejoining the band.
. Astbury supposedly started work on recording another solo album that later became the backbone for The Cult's Born into This
.
At the same time, Duffy was part of Coloursound with bassist Craig Adams and ex-Alarm
frontman Mike Peters
, then Dead Men Walking
(again with Peters) and later Cardboard Vampyres. Sorum became a member of the hard rock supergroup
Velvet Revolver
. In 2003, all of The Cult's records were issued on CD, with several bonus tracks being issued on the Russian, Belarus
ian, and Lithuanian versions. These eastern European releases had many printing mistakes on the jacket sleeves and lyric inserts. In October 2004, all of The Cult's records were again remastered and issued again on CD, this time in Japan in different cardboard foldout sleeves. "She Sells Sanctuary" appeared in the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
, playing on rock station V-Rock.
. Their lineup consisted of Astbury (vocals), Duffy (lead guitar), John Tempesta
(drums), Dimkich (rhythm guitar) and Wyse (returning as bassist). Their first stage show was held in March 2006 in San Francisco, California
, at The Fillmore
. The entire tour was recorded by Instant Live
and sold after each show. In May, they did an eight date tour in Canada. Later that summer, they toured central and eastern Europe and played their first concerts in Bulgaria
, Poland and Serbia
. An eleven-date UK tour followed as well as several more dates in the United States, finishing with a South America
n tour in December. That year, Duffy began the band Circus Diablo
with Billy Morrison, Sorum, Brett Scallions and Ricky Warwick (The Cult - Hollywood 2006, pictures by Sherry Lee).
During these tours, the band occasionally played an extended set, including several songs the band had not performed in decades: "King Contrary Man" and "Hollow Man", neither of which had been performed since 1987; also, "Libertine" was performed approximately three times, for the first time since 2000, and "Brother Wolf, Sister Moon", which was only performed one time since 1986 (for this particular song, the band played an abridged version which has never been performed before or since)
Astbury announced in February 2007 that he was leaving Riders on the Storm and returning to The Cult. He stated: "I have decided to move on and focus on my own music and legacy." The Cult was featured on Stuffmagazine.com's list of ultimate air guitar
players. On 21 March 2007, it was announced that the band would be touring Europe with The Who
. The first confirmed tour date was in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in early June, with at least a dozen shows set to follow.
The band played a gig in London's West End at the CC Club on 7 June 2007, along with nearly two dozen shows across continental Europe during summer. The tour also includes the first performance in Romania
and Croatia
.
was released on 16 October, and was produced by Martin "Youth" Glover
, bass player for Killing Joke
. Born into This was released as regular single disc and limited edition double disc, the second disk being a bonus 5-track CD holding the following tracks: "Stand Alone", "War Pony Destroyer", "I Assassin (Demo)", "Sound of Destruction (Demo)" and "Savages (Extended Version)". Prior to the album's release, the band played festival and headline dates, and supported The Who
in Europe through summer 2007, with a US headline tour to follow.
The band's appearance at Irving Plaza in New York City in early November 2006 was filmed and was released in 2007. The Cult New York City, issued by Fontana North and is The Cult's first high definition DVD release. Meanwhile, Astbury lent vocals on two tracks of the 2007 Unkle
album "War Stories
", one of them being the first single from the album, "Burn My Shadow".
The band performed a UK and European tour in late-February and early-March 2008. On 24 March, they began their North American tour including a major 13-city tour in Canada. During September 2008, The Cult did a brief series of dates in the northeast United States, and they will tour in Brazil as part of the South American tour in October 2008. As of May 2008, according to The Gauntlet, The Cult are currently unsigned and no longer under contract with Roadrunner Records. In October 2008, it was announced that The Cult would headline the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Antonio, to be run 16 November 2008. The Cult announced plans for a tour showcasing their 1985 Love album across the USA and then the UK in October where they will play at the Royal Albert Hall
.
Coinciding with the remastered Love album and 4 disc Omnibus boxed set, the Cult kicked off the long awaited Love Live Tour in late summer. Performing their classic Love album in its entirety, each show was played with the Love tracks opening with "Nirvana" to "Black Angel". A quick intermission followed, then other Cult hits were played (varying by venue): "Sun King", "Dirty Little Rock Star", "Electric Ocean", "Illuminated". Then followed the favorites "Fire Woman", "Lil Devil", "Wild Flower", and lastly "Love Removal Machine". In the evening of 10 October 2009 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the band performed a second encore with original Cult bassist Jamie Stewart
and drummer Mark Brzezicki
, who played drums with the band during the Love album recording sessions in July and August 1985. The band sold Love Live USB Flash-drives for each show during the tour.
. Capsule 1 is said to be the first of three or four and to be released sometime in the summer of 2010. Release formats include CD/DVD dualdisc
, 12" vinyl, and digital downloads. Capsule 1 was released on 14 September 2010.
The band has officially announced the release of its first new studio recording since 2007, "Every Man And Woman Is A Star" . The new single was released through the iTunes store on 31 July 2010.
On 1 August 2010; the band played the sold out music festival Sonisphere, which marked their first UK performance since the tour for their Love album. During the performance the debuted their new single, "Every Man and Woman is a Star". "Every Man and Woman is a Star" was released on 1 August 2010.
On 14 September 2010 the band embarked on a new U.S. tour and released Capsule 1. Capsule 1 was released in conjunction with media technology company Aderra Inc.
and was made available in multiple formats including a CD/DVD DualDisc, USB Flash Drive, 12 inch vinyl, FLAC download and MP3 download. The collection includes a short film made by singer Ian Astbury and Rick Rogers.
On 26 October 2010 the band and Aderra Inc.
announced the release of a new song, Embers, for 1 November 2010 and "Capsule 2" available through their webstore on 16 November 2010.
Pictures from The Cult's recent tour stop in Chicago on 28 October 2010 can be seen at a local radio station website.
, who performed with Masters of Reality
as a supporting act the same evening. On 11 May 2011, it was announced that The Cult were signed to Cooking Vinyl Records
, who will release the new album in early 2012. Commented guitarist Billy Duffy
: "We are very much looking forward to returning to our U.K. roots in many ways working with Cooking Vinyl." Vocalist Ian Astbury
added, "We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Cooking Vinyl." By May 2011, the band had been writing and recording new demos at its Witch Mountain studio hideaway in the Hollywood Hills, and began recording their new album at Hollywood Recording Studios. According to bassist Chris Wyse
, the album is almost finished and expected to be released in April 2012. Chris also described it as a "Zep
/Stooges
mix of energy." On November 29, 2011, it was announced that the album will be produced Bob Rock
, who provided the same role on Sonic Temple
, The Cult
and Beyond Good and Evil
.
Touring musicians
Former members
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the mid 1980s as a post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary
She Sells Sanctuary
"She Sells Sanctuary" is a song by the English rock band The Cult. It is from their 1985 album Love and was released as a single in May of that year, peaking at no.15 in the UK Singles Chart.The band has released various versions of the song...
", before breaking mainstream in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the late 1980s as a hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band with singles such as "Love Removal Machine
Love Removal Machine
"Love Removal Machine" is a rock song recorded by The Cult. It was the first single to be released from the group's 1987 album Electric. First recorded during a radio session, it had a different arrangement, was recorded for the band's third album, Peace. When that album was scrapped, it was...
" and "Fire Woman
Fire Woman
"Fire Woman" is a rock song by the band The Cult, written by singer Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy. It was the first single released from their fourth studio album Sonic Temple, and was subsequently featured on all of The Cult's compilation/ greatest hits albums, as well as being a steady...
". The band fuses a "heavy metal revivalist" sound with the "pseudo-mysticism ... of The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
[and] the guitar-orchestrations of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
... while adding touches of post-punk goth rock". Since their earliest form in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
during 1981, the band has had various line-ups, and the longest-serving members are vocalist Ian Astbury
Ian Astbury
Ian Astbury is an English rock musician and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist for the rock band, The Cult.-Pre-Cult:...
and guitarist Billy Duffy
Billy Duffy
Billy Duffy is an English guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist in The Cult.-Early days:He grew up in Manchester, where he began playing guitar at the age of fourteen...
, the band's two songwriters.
After moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the band released the album Love
Love (Cult album)
Love is an album by English rock band The Cult, released in 1985 on Beggars Banquet Records. The record has been released in nearly 30 countries worldwide, and sold an estimated 2.5 million copies. It gave The Cult commercial success in the UK and abroad...
in 1985, which charted at #4 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and which included singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary" and "Rain
Rain (The Cult song)
"Rain" is a song by The Cult from their Love album. It was briefly known as "Sad Rain" during its recording, and the lyrics were reportedly inspired by a Hopi rain dance. Ultimately it was the second single released from that album following She Sells Sanctuary...
". In the late 1980s, the band dropped their post-punk sound in favour of hard rock with their third album, Electric
Electric (The Cult album)
Electric is the pivotal third album by The Cult. Released in 1987, the album marked a deliberate stylistic change in the band from a Gothic rock to a hard rock band. Rick Rubin, the producer on Electric, had been specifically hired to remake the band's sound...
; the polish on this new sound was facilitated by Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
, who produced the record. Their fourth album, Sonic Temple
Sonic Temple
Sonic Temple is the fourth album by The Cult, released in 1989. In addition to being a continuation of the band's hard rock sound that was introduced on their previous album, Electric, Sonic Temple features some of the band's most popular songs, "Fire Woman", "Sun King", "Edie " and "Sweet Soul...
, proceeded in a similar vein, and these two LPs enabled them to break into the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n market. By the early 1990s, the band was fraying behind the scenes, due to alcohol abuse
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and off-stage tensions, leading to a split-up in 1995. The band reunited in 1999 and recorded the album Beyond Good and Evil
Beyond Good and Evil (The Cult album)
Beyond Good and Evil is the seventh studio album by English rock band The Cult. Released in 2001, it marked their first new recording in six and a half years. The record debuted at #37 on the charts in the United States, #22 in Canada, #25 in Spain....
, and they reissued all of their albums in Asia and Eastern Europe in 2003 and Japan in 2004. In 2006, the band reformed again to perform a series of worldwide tours. In October 2007, the band released the album Born into This
Born into This
Born Into This is The Cult's eighth studio album, and was released on in the US and Canada, also South Africa and Sweden. It was released in Hungary, Denmark, Spain and France on October 1, and in Finland on the 3rd. It is the follow-up to 2001's Beyond Good and Evil, the band's first reunion...
, on the Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
label. In July 2009, Astbury announced that The Cult would not record or produce any more studio albums, focusing on LPs and Digital Releases instead for new material, though he eventually changed his mind and declared that there will be a new album in the near future.
Early history (1981-1984)
The origins of the band can be traced back to 1981, in Bradford, YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, where vocalist and songwriter Ian Astbury formed a band called Southern Death Cult
Southern Death Cult
Southern Death Cult was an English positive punk band in the early 1980s. It is now primarily known for having given its lead singer and parts of its name to the multi-platinum hard rock supergroup The Cult...
. The name was chosen with a double meaning
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
, and was derived from the 14th century Native American religion, the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex is the name given to the regional stylistic similarity of artifacts, iconography, ceremonies, and mythology of the Mississippian culture that coincided with their adoption of maize agriculture and chiefdom-level complex social organization from...
or Southern Death Cult as it sometimes known, from the Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
delta area, but it was also a stab at what the band viewed was the centralisation of power in Southern England
Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
(including that of the music industry); there has long been a perceived notion of a North-South divide
North-South divide in the United Kingdom
In England, the term North–South divide refers to the economic and cultural differences between Southern England and Northern England...
based on social, historic and economic reasons. Astbury was joined in the band by Buzz Burrows (guitar), Barry Jepson (bass) and Aki Nawaz Qureshi
Aki Nawaz
Aki Nawaz also known as Aki-Stani, Righteous Preacher and Propa-Gandhi, is a British singer and musician and part of the band Fun-Da-Mental. He is best known for his controversial lyrics.-Profile:...
(drums); they performed their first show at the Queen's Hall in their hometown of Bradford on 29 October 1981. The band were at the forefront of a new emerging style of music, in the form of post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
and gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
(then known as positive-punk), they achieved critical acclaim from the press and music fans very early on.
Situation Two
Situation Two, aka Situation 2, was a record label created in 1981 by Peter Kent as an offshoot of the larger Beggars Banquet label. At the time, Beggars Banquet records were distributed by WEA Records; so, to appeal to the indie audience and to get releases into the indie charts, the Situation Two...
, an offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
, and released a three-track, triple A-side single, Moya, during this period. They toured through England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
headlining some shows on their own and also touring with Bauhaus
Bauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
and Theatre of Hate
Theatre of Hate
Theatre of Hate were a post-punk band formed in Britain in 1980.Led by singer-songwriter and ex-member of punk band The Pack, Kirk Brandon, the original group also consisted of: guitarist Steve Guthrie, bassist Stan Stammers , saxophonist John Lennard and drummer Luke Rendle from Crisis/The...
. The band played their final performance in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
during February 1983, meaning after only sixteen months the band was over. A compilation under the name The Southern Death Cult was released, this being a collection of the single, radio sessions with John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
for Radio One
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
and live performances - one of which was recorded by an audience member with a tape recorder.
In April 1983, Astbury teamed up with guitarist Billy Duffy and formed the band "Death Cult". Duffy had previously been in The Nosebleeds (along with Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
), Lonesome No More and then Theatre of Hate. In addition to Astbury and Duffy, the band also included Jamie Stewart
Jamie Stewart (The Cult)
Jamie Stewart was bassist of the 1980s British post-punk/hard rock group The Cult. He played bass guitar and keyboards on each of The Cult's first four albums and rhythm guitar on tour in 1987.After leaving The Cult, Stewart worked as a record producer in Canada...
(bass) and Raymond Taylor Smith (later known as Ray Mondo) (drums), both from the Harrow, London
Harrow, London
Harrow is an area in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, United Kingdom. It is a suburban area and is situated 12.2 miles northwest of Charing Cross...
based post-punk band, Ritual. Death Cult made their live debut in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in late June 1983 and released the Death Cult
Death Cult (ep)
The Death Cult compact disc is a compilation which collects the only single and only EP by the post-punk band that later became The Cult. These two recordings were issued under the band's original name, "Death Cult"...
EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in July 1983, then toured throughout Europe. In September 1983, Mondo was deported to his home country of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
and replaced by Nigel Preston, formerly of Theatre of Hate. The single "God's Zoo" was released in October 1983. Another European tour, with UK dates, followed later that autumn. To tone down the gothic connotations of their name, and to gain broader appeal, the band changed its name to "The Cult" in January 1984 before appearing on the (UK) Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television show, The Tube
The Tube (TV series)
The Tube was an innovative United Kingdom pop/rock music television programme, which ran for five seasons, from 5 November 1982 until 1987...
.
The Cult's first studio record, Dreamtime, was recorded at Rockfield Studios, in Monmouth, Wales in 1984. The record was originally to be produced by Joe Julian, but after having already recorded the drum tracks, the band decided to replace him with John Brand. The record was ultimately produced by Brand, but guitarist Duffy has said that the drum tracks used on the record were those produced by Julian, as Preston by that time had become too unreliable.
The band recorded the songs which later became known as "Butterflies", "(The) Gimmick", "A Flower in the Desert", "Horse Nation", "Spiritwalker", "Bad Medicine (Waltz)", "Dreamtime", "With Love" (later known as "Ship of Fools", and also "Sea and Sky"), "Bone Bag", "Too Young", "83rd Dream", and one untitled outtake. It is unknown what the outtake was, or whether it was developed into a song at a later date. Songs like "Horse Nation" showed Astbury's already intense interest in Native American issues, with the lyrics to "Horse Nation", "See them prancing, they come neighing, to a horse nation", taken almost verbatim from the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by American writer Dee Brown is a history of Native Americans in the American West in the late nineteenth century. He describes the people's displacement through forced relocations and years of warfare waged by the United States federal government...
, while "Spiritwalker" dealt with shamanism
Shamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
, and the record's title and title track are overtly influenced by Australian Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
beliefs.
On 4 April 1984, The Cult released the single "Spiritwalker", which reached #1 on the independent charts in the UK, and acted as a teaser for their forthcoming album Dreamtime. This was followed that summer by a second single, "Go West (Crazy Spinning Circles)", before the release of Dreamtime in September; the album reached #21 in the UK, and sold over 100,000 copies in Britain alone. On 12 July 1984, the band performed five songs live in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Maida Vale 5 studio. Both before and after the album's release, The Cult toured extensively throughout Europe and England before recording another single, "Resurrection Joe" (UK #74), released that December. Following a Christmas support slot with Big Country
Big Country
Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife in 1981. They were most popular in the early to mid-1980s, but they still release material for a cult following...
, The Cult toured Europe with support from The Mission
The Mission (band)
The Mission are a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy.The band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams , soon adding...
(then called The Sisterhood). Dreamtime was released initially only in Britain, but after its success, and as The Cult's popularity grew worldwide, it was issued later in approximately 30 countries.
Mainstream success (1985-1990)
In May 1985, The Cult released their fourth single, "She Sells SanctuaryShe Sells Sanctuary
"She Sells Sanctuary" is a song by the English rock band The Cult. It is from their 1985 album Love and was released as a single in May of that year, peaking at no.15 in the UK Singles Chart.The band has released various versions of the song...
", which peaked at #15 in the UK and spent a total of 23 weeks in the Top 100. The song was recently voted #18 in VH1's Indie 100. In June 1985, following his increasingly erratic behaviour, Preston was fired from the band. Big Country's drummer Mark Brzezicki
Mark Brzezicki
Mark Brzezicki is a rock drummer, who is primarily known for his work with Big Country, and was a member of the groups The Cult, Ultravox, and Procol Harum. He has also played with Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Midge Ure, Fish, The Pretenders and many others...
was picked to replace Preston, who died in 1992. Brzezicki was also included in the video for "She Sells Sanctuary". The Cult recorded their second album, Love
Love (Cult album)
Love is an album by English rock band The Cult, released in 1985 on Beggars Banquet Records. The record has been released in nearly 30 countries worldwide, and sold an estimated 2.5 million copies. It gave The Cult commercial success in the UK and abroad...
in July and August 1985. The band's music and image shifted from their punk-oriented roots to 1960s psychedelia influences. Love was a chart success, peaking at #4 in the UK and selling 100,000 copies there towards a total of 500,000 copies throughout Europe , as well as 100,000 in Australia and 500,000 copies in the United States. To date, the record has sold over two and a half million copies worldwide.
From mid-1985 to 1986, the band went on a worldwide tour with new drummer Les Warner
Les Warner
Les Warner is a British born musician and producer, primarily a drummer best known for his work with The Cult. On the reverse of the Electric album, he is in the far right picture...
(who had previously played with Julian Lennon
Julian Lennon
John Charles Julian Lennon is an English musician, songwriter, actor, and photographer. He is the son of John Lennon and Lennon's first wife, Cynthia Powell. Beatles manager Brian Epstein was his godfather. He has a younger half-brother, Sean Lennon. Lennon was named after his paternal...
and Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...
). Two more official singles from the Love album followed; "Rain" (charting in the UK at #17) and "Revolution" (charting in the UK at #30). Neither of these singles charted in the US. Another single, "Nirvana", was issued only in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. The album version of "Rain", as well as the remix "(Here Comes the) Rain", were used in the Italian horror film Dèmoni 2
Demoni 2
Dèmoni 2 is a 1986 Italian horror film directed by Lamberto Bava and co-written and produced by Dario Argento. It is a sequel to Bava's 1985 film Dèmoni and stars David Edwin Knight, Nancy Brilli, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, as well as Argento's youngest daughter Asia Argento in her debut film...
. Once back in England, the band booked themselves into the Manor Studios
The Manor Studio
The Manor Studio was a recording studio in the manor house at the village of Shipton-on-Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England, north of the city of Oxford. It was the first residential recording studio in the UK...
in Oxfordshire, with producer Steve Brown (who had produced Love), and recorded over a dozen new songs. The band were unhappy with the sound of their new album, titled Peace, and they decided to go to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
so that producer Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
could remix the first single, "Love Removal Machine".
Rubin agreed to work with the band, but only if they rerecorded the song. Rubin eventually talked them into rerecording the entire album. The band's record company, Beggars Banquet, was displeased with this, as two months and £250,000 had already been spent on the record. However, after hearing the initial New York recording, Beggars Banquet agreed to proceed. The first single, "Love Removal Machine", was released in February 1987, and the new version of the album appeared in April that same year, now renamed as Electric
Electric (The Cult album)
Electric is the pivotal third album by The Cult. Released in 1987, the album marked a deliberate stylistic change in the band from a Gothic rock to a hard rock band. Rick Rubin, the producer on Electric, had been specifically hired to remake the band's sound...
, reaching #4 and eventually outselling Love. The band toured with Kid Chaos
Kid Chaos
Kid Chaos a.k.a. Haggis is a Welsh rock bassist and guitarist who played in incarnations of hard rock bands Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction, The Cult, and The Four Horsemen as well as guesting with Appetite for Destruction era Guns N' Roses.Harris was born in Wales...
(also known as "Haggis" and "The Kid") on bass, with Stewart on rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
. Two more singles, "Lil Devil" and "Wildflower", were released during 1987. A few tracks from the original Peace album appeared on the single versions of "Love Removal Machine", and "Lil Devil". The full Peace album would not be released until 2000, when it was included as Disc 3 of the Rare Cult box set.
In the US, The Cult, now consisting of Astbury, Duffy, Stewart, Warner and Kid Chaos, were supported by the then unknown Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
. The band also appeared at Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival is a festival held south of Roskilde in Denmark and is one of the six biggest annual music festivals in Europe . It was created in 1971 by two high school students, Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller, and promoter Carl Fischer...
in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in June 1987. When the world tour wound through Australia, the band wrecked £30,000 worth of equipment, and as a result they could not tour Japan, as no company would rent them new equipment. At the end of the tour the Electric album had been certified Gold in the UK, and sold roughly 3 million copies worldwide , but the band were barely speaking to each other by then. Haggis left the band at the end of the Electric tour to form The Four Horsemen
The Four Horsemen (band)
The Four Horsemen were an American hard rock band, who enjoyed a brief popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Their style was blues influenced heavy rock, but their fame was both fleeting and marred by tragedy.-History:...
for Rubin's Def American label. Astbury and Duffy fired Warner and their management team Grant/Edwards, and moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with original bassist Stewart. Warner sued the band several times for his firing, as well as for what he felt were unpaid royalties due to him for his performance on the Electric album, resulting in lengthy court battles. The Cult signed a new management deal and wrote 21 new songs for their next record.
For the next album, Stewart returned to playing bass, and John Webster was brought in to play keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s. The band used Chris Taylor to play drums during rehearsals and record the demos, with Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
drummer Eric Singer
Eric Singer
Eric Doyle Mensinger , better known as Eric Singer, is a hard rock and heavy metal drummer for the rock band Kiss and formerly for singer Alice Cooper...
performing during the second demo recording sessions. The Cult eventually recruited session-drummer Mickey Curry
Mickey Curry
Michael Timothy Curry is an American drummer. He is best known for his long-term collaboration with the singer-songwriter Bryan Adams, although he has also worked with Hall & Oates, Cher, Tina Turner, Alice Cooper, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Sam Phillips, Tom Waits, The Cult, Steve Jones and...
to fill the drumming role and Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
sound engineer, Bob Rock
Bob Rock
Robert Jens Rock, , is a Canadian musician, sound engineer, and record producer best known for producing bands such as Aerosmith, The Cult, Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, 311, Metallica, Our Lady Peace, The Offspring and most recently Bush.-Payola$ and Rock and Hyde:Rock began his music career in Langford,...
, to produce. Recorded in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
from October to December 1988, the Sonic Temple
Sonic Temple
Sonic Temple is the fourth album by The Cult, released in 1989. In addition to being a continuation of the band's hard rock sound that was introduced on their previous album, Electric, Sonic Temple features some of the band's most popular songs, "Fire Woman", "Sun King", "Edie " and "Sweet Soul...
record went Top 10 in both the UK and the US, where it was certified Gold and Platinum respectively. The band went on tour in support of the new album and new single "Fire Woman
Fire Woman
"Fire Woman" is a rock song by the band The Cult, written by singer Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy. It was the first single released from their fourth studio album Sonic Temple, and was subsequently featured on all of The Cult's compilation/ greatest hits albums, as well as being a steady...
" (UK #15) (NZ #1), with yet another new drummer, Matt Sorum
Matt Sorum
Matthew William Sorum is an American rock drummer and percussionist. Sorum is most famous for his 7-year stint in Guns N' Roses and supergroup Velvet Revolver , which is comprised in part of former Guns N' Roses members Duff McKagan and Slash .-Early career :Matt Sorum was born Matthew William...
, and Webster as keyboard player. The next single, "Edie (Ciao Baby)
Edie (Ciao Baby)
"Edie " is hard rock song by English band The Cult. It appeared on their fourth studio album Sonic Temple in 1989. It was also released as the second single from that album in 1989. A promotional video was also created...
" (UK #25) has become a regular song at concerts for many years.
In Europe, the band toured with Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, and in the US, after releasing another single "Sun King" (UK #42), they spent 1989 touring in support of Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
before heading out on their own headlining tour later that same year. A fourth single, "Sweet Soul Sister
Sweet Soul Sister
"Sweet Soul Sister" is a song by English hard rock band The Cult. It was first released on their 1989 album Sonic Temple, and was later released as a single. It reached number 42 in the UK Singles Chart, while peaking at number 14 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the US...
" (UK #38), was released in February 1990, with the video having been filmed at Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
, London, on 25 November 1989. "Sweet Soul Sister" was partially written in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and was inspired by the bohemian
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
lifestyle of that city. Released as a single in February 1990, the song was another hit in Britain, and reportedly reached number one on the rock charts in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. After playing a show in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, in February 1990, the band's management told Astbury that his father had just died of cancer. As a result, the remainder of the tour was cancelled after a final leg of shows were performed in April. After the tour ended, the band were on the verge of splitting due to Stewart retiring and moving to Canada to be with his wife, and Sorum leaving to join Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
.
In 1990, Astbury organized the Gathering of the Tribes
A Gathering of the Tribes
A Gathering of the Tribes was a two-day music festival organized by The Cult's Ian Astbury with Bill Graham at the head of Bill Graham Productions. This two day music and culture festival was a precursor to the Lollapalooza touring festivals of the 1990s...
festival in Los Angeles and San Francisco with artists such as Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, Ice-T
ICE-T
* Ice-T, an American rapper and actor* ICE T , a tilting model of the German InterCityExpress series of high-speed trains...
, Indigo Girls
Indigo Girls
The Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. They met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
, Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
, Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, The Charlatans, The Cramps
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...
and Public Enemy appearing. This two day festival drew 40,000 people, and inspired Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
, which started in 1991. Also in 1990, a ten CD box set was released in Britain, containing rare songs from The Cult's singles. The CDs in this box set were all issued as picture discs with rice paper
Rice paper
Rice paper usually refers to paper made from parts of the rice plant, like rice straw or rice flour. The term is also used for paper made from or containing other plants, such as hemp, bamboo or mulberry...
covers, housed in either a white box called "Singles Collection", or a black box called "E.P. Collection '84 - '90". In 1991, director Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
offered Astbury the role of Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
in Stone's film The Doors
The Doors (film)
The Doors is a 1991 biopic about the 1960s-1970s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. It was directed by Oliver Stone, and stars Val Kilmer as Morrison, Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson , Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger,...
. He declined the role because he was not happy with the way Morrison was represented in the film, and the role was ultimately played by Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
.
Ceremony and the lawsuit (1991-1994)
In 1991, Astbury and Duffy were writing again for their next album. During the demo recordings, Todd Hoffman and James KottakJames Kottak
James Kottak is an American drummer for the heavy metal band Scorpions, which he joined in 1996....
played bass and drums. During the actual album recording sessions, Curry was recruited again to play drums, with Charley Drayton
Charley Drayton
Charley Drayton is an American multi-instrumental musician and producer, who has played as a drummer and bass guitarist for many bands and artists and is currently the drummer in Australian rock bands Divinyls and Cold Chisel....
on bass, and various other performers. Astbury and Duffy's working relationship had disintegrated by that time, with the two men reportedly rarely even in the studio together during recording. The resulting album Ceremony was released to mixed responses. The album climbed to US #34, but sales were not as impressive as the previous three records, only selling around one million copies worldwide. Only two official singles were released from the record: the explosive and Cult definitive "Wild Hearted Son" (UK #34, Canada #41) and "Heart of Soul" (UK #50), although "White" was released as a single only in Canada, "Sweet Salvation" was released as a single (as "Dulce Salvación") in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in 1992, and the title track "Ceremony" was released in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The Cult's Ceremonial Stomp tour went through Europe in 1991 and North America in 1992. In 1991 The Cult played a show at the Marquee Club
Marquee Club
The Marquee was a music club first located at 165 Oxford Street, London, England when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts.It was also the location of the first ever live performance by The Rolling Stones on 12 July 1962....
in London, which was recorded and released in February 1993, packaged with some vinyl UK copies of their first greatest hits release. Only a handful of CD copies of it were ever manufactured originally, however it was subsequently reissued on CD in 1999. An incomplete bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
video of this show is also in circulation.
The band were sued by the parents of the Native American boy pictured on the cover of Ceremony, for alleged exploitation and for the unauthorized use of the child's image. This image of the boy is also burned in the video for "Wild Hearted Son". This lawsuit delayed the release of Ceremony in many countries including South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, which did not see the record's release until late 1992, and it was unreleased in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
until The Cult played several shows in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
in June 1993.
A world tour followed with backing from future Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
drummer Michael Lee
Michael Lee (musician)
Michael Lee was an English drummer who toured and recorded with former Led Zeppelin musicians Robert Plant and Jimmy Page....
and bassist Kinley Wolfe, and keyboardist John Sinclair returning one last time, and the Gathering of the Tribes moved to the UK. Here artists such as Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
performed. The warm-up gig to the show, in a small nightclub, was dedicated to the memory of Nigel Preston, who had died a few weeks earlier at the age of 31. Following the release of the single "The Witch" (#9 in Australia) and the performance of a song for the 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 1992 American action/comedy/horror film about a Valley girl cheerleader named Buffy who learns that it is her fate to hunt vampires. The original script for the film was written by Joss Whedon, who later created the darker and more acclaimed TV series of the same name...
movie soundtrack entitled "Zap City", produced by Steve Brown and originally a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to "Lil' Devil", two volumes of remixes of "She Sells Sanctuary", called Sanctuary Mixes MCMXCIII, volumes one and two, and in support of Pure Cult: for Rockers, Ravers, Lovers, and Sinners, a greatest hits compilation which debuted at #1 on the British charts and later went to number one in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Astbury and Duffy fired the "backing band" and recruited Craig Adams
Craig Adams (musician)
Craig Adams is a British musician, bass guitarist and songwriter. Over his career he worked with a variation of rockbands while also being part of a touring crew....
(The Mission) and Scott Garrett for performances across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in 1993, with some shows featuring Mike Dimkich on rhythm guitar. This tour marked the first time the band performed in Turkey, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and the Slovak Republic
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
The Cult (1994-1995)
With the same line-up still in place, the band released The CultThe Cult (album)
The Cult is the sixth studio album from English rock band, The Cult. It was released in October, 1994 on Beggars Banquet Records and it is also the band's last album on Sire Records in the USA. It is also commonly referred to as the "Black Sheep" record, due to the image of a Manx Loaghtan black...
in October 1994, produced by Bob Rock. The self-titled 'Cult' album is commonly referred to as the 'Black Sheep' album by fans of the group. Astbury referred to the record as "very personal and very revealing" songs about his life, with the subject matter ranging from sexual abuse at the age of 15, to the death of Nigel Preston, to his directionless years spent in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in the late 1970s. The record achieved little success, only reaching #69 in the US and #21 in the UK. Duffy remarked that he thought that the record wouldn't sell well due to the offensive lyrics. The record went to number one in Portugal also, but quickly dropped out of sight. The single "Coming Down (Drug Tongue)" was released with the band going on tour in support of the new album. Only one more single, "Star", was officially released with a live appearance on UK TV show The Word
The Word (TV series)
The Word was a 1990s Channel 4 television programme in the United Kingdom.-Format:Its presenters included Mancunian radio presenter Terry Christian, comedian Mark Lamarr, Dani Behr, Katie Puckrik, Jasmine Dotiwala, Alan Connor, Amanda de Cadenet and "Huffty"...
. "Star" began life in 1986 as "Tom Petty" and was recorded at the "Sonic Temple" demo sessions as 'Starchild", being dropped by the band during rehearsals. In 1993 the song was resurrected and was finally completed for the record in 1994 as, just simply, "Star".
When the band began the Beauty's On The Streets tour in winter 1994, they augmented the line up with James Stevenson
James Stevenson (musician)
James Stevenson is a UK punk / rock guitarist, at one time appearing with The Alarm, Gene Loves Jezebel, Generation X and Chelsea.-Music career:...
on rhythm guitar. As with the Ceremony record several years earlier, no other official singles were released, but several other songs were released on a strictly limited basis: "Sacred Life" was released in Spain and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, "Be Free" was issued in Canada and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, "Saints Are Down" was issued in Greece, but none of the songs gained much commercial success. During this tour, The Cult made their first ever appearance in Norway.
Break-up (1995-1998)
During the Black Rain tour of South America in spring of 1995, despite the fact that several more new songs had already been recorded, the tour was cancelled after an appearance in Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
in March, and the band split up citing unspecified problems on a recent South American tour. Astbury started up a garage band
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
called Holy Barbarians a few months later. The band made their debut at the 100 Club
100 Club
The 100 Club is a music venue in London situated at 100 Oxford Street, W1, originally called The Feldman Swing Club.The 100 Club attained legendary status in modern British music, having played host to live music since 24 October 1942....
in London in February 1996 and released their first (and only) record in May 1996, and toured throughout North America and Europe for the rest of 1996. The band started writing material for a second record in 1997, but the band was dissolved and Astbury began writing and recording a solo record. Throughout 1997 and 1998 Astbury recorded his solo record, originally to be titled Natural Born Guerilla, later called High Time Amplifier. Ultimately the record remained unreleased until June 2000 when it was released under the name Spirit\Light\Speed. Astbury played one solo concert in 1999.
In November 1996, a number of CD reissues were released: the band's American record company released High Octane Cult, a slightly updated "greatest hits" compilation released only in the US and Japan; The Southern Death Cult, a remastered edition of the fifteen-song compilation CD; a ten-song compilation CD by Death Cult called Ghost Dance, consisting of the untitled four-song EP, the single "God's Zoo", and four unreleased songs from a radio broadcast; and a remastered repackaging of the Dreamtime album, containing only the ten original songs from the record in their original playing order and almost completely different but original artwork. Dreamtime Live at the Lyceum
Dreamtime Live at the Lyceum
Live at the Lyceum is a live album by The Cult, recorded live at the Lyceum Ballroom in London on 20 May 1984. The band performed 15 songs at the concert, which was edited down to nine songs for this release. In the UK, it was released with the first 30,000 copies of the Dreamtime LP, and also...
was also remastered and issued on video and for the first time on CD, with the one unreleased song from the concert, "Gimmick".
Reunion (1999-2001)
In 1999, Astbury and Duffy reformed The Cult with Matt Sorum and ex-Porno for PyrosPorno for Pyros
Porno for Pyros was an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1992, following the initial break-up of Jane's Addiction...
bassist Martyn LeNoble
Martyn LeNoble
Martyn LeNoble is a Dutch bassist and founding member of Porno for Pyros.LeNoble started his musical career by playing bass in a Dutch punk rock band when he was 14. In 1989, he moved to Los Angeles and played with the likes of Thelonious Monster and The Too Free Stooges...
. Their first official concert was at the Tibetan Freedom Concert
Tibetan Freedom Concert
Tibetan Freedom Concert is the name given to a series of rock festivals held in North America, Europe and Asia between 1996 and 2001 to support the cause of Tibetan independence. The concerts were organized by the Beastie Boys and the Milarepa Fund...
in June 1999, after having rehearsed at shows in the Los Angeles area. The band's 1999 Cult Rising reunion tour resulted in a sold out 30 date tour of the US, ending with 8 consecutive sold out nights at the LA House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
. In 2000, the band toured South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
for the first time, and North and South America, and contributed the song "Painted on My Heart
Painted on My Heart
"Painted on My Heart" is a single by The Cult, released in 2000 in promotion of the film Gone in 60 Seconds. It was written by Diane Warren.- Australia :# The Cult - "Painted on My Heart" - 3:50# Caviar - "Sugarless" - 3:07...
" to the soundtrack of the movie Gone In 60 Seconds
Gone in 60 Seconds (soundtrack)
Gone in 60 Seconds is the soundtrack to the 2000 action film, Gone in 60 Seconds. It was released on June 6, 2000 through the Island Def Jam Music Group and consisted of a blend of alternative rock, electronic and hip hop music...
. The song was featured prominently and the melody was fused into parts of the score. In June, Astbury's long-delayed solo record was finally released as Spirit\Light\Speed, but it failed to gain much success. In November 2000, another authorised greatest hits compilation was released, Pure Cult: The Singles 1984–1995, along with an accompanying DVD, which was later certified gold in Canada.
In November 2000, Beggars Banquet released 15000 copies of a six-disc boxset (with a bonus seventh disc of remixes for the first 5000 copies) titled Rare Cult. The boxset consists of album out-takes, demos, radio broadcasts, and album B-sides. It is most notable for including the withdrawn "Peace" album in its entirety. In 2001, the band signed to Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
and recorded a new album, Beyond Good and Evil
Beyond Good and Evil (The Cult album)
Beyond Good and Evil is the seventh studio album by English rock band The Cult. Released in 2001, it marked their first new recording in six and a half years. The record debuted at #37 on the charts in the United States, #22 in Canada, #25 in Spain....
, originally being produced by Mick Jones
Mick Jones (Foreigner)
Michael Leslie "Mick" Jones is an English guitarist, songwriter, and record producer best known as the founding member of the rock band Foreigner.-Life and career:...
of Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
, until Jones bowed out to tour with Foreigner. Astbury and Duffy co-wrote a song with Jones, an odd occurrence, as in the past, neither Astbury or Duffy would co-write their material. Bob Rock was the producer, with Martyn LeNoble and Chris Wyse
Chris Wyse
Chris Wyse is the current bass guitarist for the influential hard rock band The Cult. He is also the vocalist and bassist of his own band, Owl.Wyse tried out for Metallica to replace Jason Newsted in 2003, and can be seen on the DVD Some Kind of Monster...
as recording bassists, as Mike Dimkich played rhythm guitar on tour, and Matt Sorum
Matt Sorum
Matthew William Sorum is an American rock drummer and percussionist. Sorum is most famous for his 7-year stint in Guns N' Roses and supergroup Velvet Revolver , which is comprised in part of former Guns N' Roses members Duff McKagan and Slash .-Early career :Matt Sorum was born Matthew William...
returning as drummer. Although Sorum has previously toured with the band on the Sonic Temple tour in 1989, this was the first time that he had recorded a studio album with the band.
However Beyond Good and Evil was not the comeback record the band had hoped for. Despite reaching #37 in the US, #22 in Canada, and #25 in Spain, sales quickly dropped, only selling roughly 500,000 copies worldwide. The first single "Rise", reached #41 in the US, and #2 on the mainstream rock charts, but Atlantic Records quickly pulled the song from radio playlists. Astbury would later describe the experience with Atlantic to be "soul destroying", after Atlantic tried to tamper with the lyrics, the record cover, and choice of singles from the record.
After the first single from the record, the band's working relationship with Atlantic was on paper only, with Atlantic pulling "Rise" from the radio stations playlists, and stopping all promotion of the record. The second single "Breathe" was only released as a radio station promo, and the final single "True Believers" was only on a compilation sampler disc released in January 2002 (after The Cult's tour had already ended). Despite "True Believers" receiving radio airplay in Australia, both singles went largely unnoticed, and both Astbury and Duffy walked away from the project. LeNoble rejoined the band for the initial dates in early 2001, and Billy Morrison
Billy Morrison
Billy Morrison is an English guitarist, singer and actor who performs with the Los Angeles-based cover band Camp Freddy. Morrison is also a member of Billy Idol's current touring band, and has previously fronted the hard rock act Circus Diablo...
filled in on bass for the majority of the 2001 tour.
The European tour of 2001 was canceled, largely due to security concerns after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the band flew back to the US to tour again with Aerosmith. But the eleven-week tour was considered by fans to be a disaster, as the band played only a brief rundown of their greatest hits. In October 2001, a show at the Grand Olympic Auditorium
Grand Olympic Auditorium
The Grand Olympic Auditorium is the former name of a sports venue in Los Angeles, California, United States. Located at 1801 S. Grand Avenue, the venue was built in 1924 specifically for the 1932 Summer Olympics, which saw the boxing, weightlifting, and wrestling events held there. At the time it...
in Los Angeles was filmed for release on DVD. After the tour ended in December 2001, the band took most of 2002 off, apart from a few shows in the US to promote the release of the DVD, with Scott Garrett and Craig Adams rejoining the band.
Second hiatus (2002-2004)
In late 2002, Ian Astbury declared the Cult to be "on ice" indefinitely, after performing a brief series of dates in October 2002 to promote the release of the Music Without Fear DVD. During this second hiatus, Astbury performed as a member of The Doors (later dubbed The Doors of the 21st Century, later still renamed D21c, and most recently known as Riders on the Storm) with two of the original members of that group. D21c was sued numerous times, both by Jim Morrison's family and by drummer John DensmoreJohn Densmore
John Paul Densmore is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer of the rock group The Doors.-Early life and The Doors:Born in Los Angeles, Densmore attended Santa Monica City College and Cal...
. Astbury supposedly started work on recording another solo album that later became the backbone for The Cult's Born into This
Born into This
Born Into This is The Cult's eighth studio album, and was released on in the US and Canada, also South Africa and Sweden. It was released in Hungary, Denmark, Spain and France on October 1, and in Finland on the 3rd. It is the follow-up to 2001's Beyond Good and Evil, the band's first reunion...
.
At the same time, Duffy was part of Coloursound with bassist Craig Adams and ex-Alarm
The Alarm
The Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture...
frontman Mike Peters
Mike Peters (musician)
Mike Peters is a Welsh musician, best known as the lead singer of The Alarm. He currently lives in Dyserth, North Wales with his family. After The Alarm split up in 1991, Peters wrote and released solo work, which he has been releasing under the name "The Alarm" since 2000...
, then Dead Men Walking
Dead Men Walking
Dead Men Walking are a UK based rock band with a multi national line-up, who have toured the UK, Ireland and the U.S.-Career:They have released four albums: Live At Guildford , Live At Leeds , Live At Darwen , and Graveyard Smashes Volume 1...
(again with Peters) and later Cardboard Vampyres. Sorum became a member of the hard rock supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth. Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland was Velvet Revolver's lead singer from their formation until...
. In 2003, all of The Cult's records were issued on CD, with several bonus tracks being issued on the Russian, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian, and Lithuanian versions. These eastern European releases had many printing mistakes on the jacket sleeves and lyric inserts. In October 2004, all of The Cult's records were again remastered and issued again on CD, this time in Japan in different cardboard foldout sleeves. "She Sells Sanctuary" appeared in the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
, playing on rock station V-Rock.
Second reunion (2005-2007)
In 2005, the band reunited to prepare for the Return To Wild world tour in 2006, making their first live appearance in three-and-a-half years on The Late Late Show with Craig FergusonThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
. Their lineup consisted of Astbury (vocals), Duffy (lead guitar), John Tempesta
John Tempesta
John Tempesta is a heavy metal drummer who has worked several bands including: Exodus, Testament and White Zombie. He also played with former White Zombie singer Rob Zombie as a solo artist and served as drum technician for heavy metal band Anthrax earlier in his career...
(drums), Dimkich (rhythm guitar) and Wyse (returning as bassist). Their first stage show was held in March 2006 in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, at The Fillmore
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
. The entire tour was recorded by Instant Live
Instant Live
Instant Live is a service by Live Nation which provides for the distribution of digital live recordings of concerts and music events, available soon after a performance has ended...
and sold after each show. In May, they did an eight date tour in Canada. Later that summer, they toured central and eastern Europe and played their first concerts in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Poland and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. An eleven-date UK tour followed as well as several more dates in the United States, finishing with a South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n tour in December. That year, Duffy began the band Circus Diablo
Circus Diablo
Circus Diablo is a Los Angeles-based hard rock band, formed in early 2006 by Billy Morrison , Billy Duffy and Ricky Warwick . Former Fuel frontman Brett Scallions and Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum subsequently joined the band on bass and drums, respectively...
with Billy Morrison, Sorum, Brett Scallions and Ricky Warwick (The Cult - Hollywood 2006, pictures by Sherry Lee).
During these tours, the band occasionally played an extended set, including several songs the band had not performed in decades: "King Contrary Man" and "Hollow Man", neither of which had been performed since 1987; also, "Libertine" was performed approximately three times, for the first time since 2000, and "Brother Wolf, Sister Moon", which was only performed one time since 1986 (for this particular song, the band played an abridged version which has never been performed before or since)
Astbury announced in February 2007 that he was leaving Riders on the Storm and returning to The Cult. He stated: "I have decided to move on and focus on my own music and legacy." The Cult was featured on Stuffmagazine.com's list of ultimate air guitar
Air guitar
Playing air guitar is a form of dance and movement in which the performer pretends to play rock or heavy metal-style electric guitar, including riffs, solos, etc. Playing an air guitar usually consists of exaggerated strumming and picking motions and is often coupled with loud singing or lip-synching...
players. On 21 March 2007, it was announced that the band would be touring Europe with The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. The first confirmed tour date was in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in early June, with at least a dozen shows set to follow.
The band played a gig in London's West End at the CC Club on 7 June 2007, along with nearly two dozen shows across continental Europe during summer. The tour also includes the first performance in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
.
Born Into This (2007-2009)
On 29 May 2007, the band signed a deal with major metal label Roadrunner Records. Their 8th studio album, titled Born into ThisBorn into This
Born Into This is The Cult's eighth studio album, and was released on in the US and Canada, also South Africa and Sweden. It was released in Hungary, Denmark, Spain and France on October 1, and in Finland on the 3rd. It is the follow-up to 2001's Beyond Good and Evil, the band's first reunion...
was released on 16 October, and was produced by Martin "Youth" Glover
Martin Glover
Martin Glover, also known as Youth, is a record producer and a founding member and bassist of the UK band Killing Joke. He is a member of The Fireman along with Paul McCartney. Glover was born in Africa.-Early career:...
, bass player for Killing Joke
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
. Born into This was released as regular single disc and limited edition double disc, the second disk being a bonus 5-track CD holding the following tracks: "Stand Alone", "War Pony Destroyer", "I Assassin (Demo)", "Sound of Destruction (Demo)" and "Savages (Extended Version)". Prior to the album's release, the band played festival and headline dates, and supported The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
in Europe through summer 2007, with a US headline tour to follow.
The band's appearance at Irving Plaza in New York City in early November 2006 was filmed and was released in 2007. The Cult New York City, issued by Fontana North and is The Cult's first high definition DVD release. Meanwhile, Astbury lent vocals on two tracks of the 2007 Unkle
UNKLE
Unkle are a British musical outfit founded in 1994 by school friends James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy. Originally categorized as trip-hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a variety of guest artists and producers.-First incarnation :Lavelle and Goldsworthy were joined...
album "War Stories
War Stories (album)
War Stories is the third album from Unkle. The album was released in Japan on 20 June 2007 Europe and the UK on 9 July 2007, followed by a 24 July release date in North America. War Stories debuted at #58 in Australia. The album was promoted by three singles: "Burn My Shadow", "Hold My Hand" and...
", one of them being the first single from the album, "Burn My Shadow".
The band performed a UK and European tour in late-February and early-March 2008. On 24 March, they began their North American tour including a major 13-city tour in Canada. During September 2008, The Cult did a brief series of dates in the northeast United States, and they will tour in Brazil as part of the South American tour in October 2008. As of May 2008, according to The Gauntlet, The Cult are currently unsigned and no longer under contract with Roadrunner Records. In October 2008, it was announced that The Cult would headline the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Antonio, to be run 16 November 2008. The Cult announced plans for a tour showcasing their 1985 Love album across the USA and then the UK in October where they will play at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
.
Coinciding with the remastered Love album and 4 disc Omnibus boxed set, the Cult kicked off the long awaited Love Live Tour in late summer. Performing their classic Love album in its entirety, each show was played with the Love tracks opening with "Nirvana" to "Black Angel". A quick intermission followed, then other Cult hits were played (varying by venue): "Sun King", "Dirty Little Rock Star", "Electric Ocean", "Illuminated". Then followed the favorites "Fire Woman", "Lil Devil", "Wild Flower", and lastly "Love Removal Machine". In the evening of 10 October 2009 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the band performed a second encore with original Cult bassist Jamie Stewart
Jamie Stewart (The Cult)
Jamie Stewart was bassist of the 1980s British post-punk/hard rock group The Cult. He played bass guitar and keyboards on each of The Cult's first four albums and rhythm guitar on tour in 1987.After leaving The Cult, Stewart worked as a record producer in Canada...
and drummer Mark Brzezicki
Mark Brzezicki
Mark Brzezicki is a rock drummer, who is primarily known for his work with Big Country, and was a member of the groups The Cult, Ultravox, and Procol Harum. He has also played with Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Midge Ure, Fish, The Pretenders and many others...
, who played drums with the band during the Love album recording sessions in July and August 1985. The band sold Love Live USB Flash-drives for each show during the tour.
The Capsule EPs (2010)
The Cult entered 2010 continuing their Love Live Tour and announcing more dates in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. The band has also just finished recording a four-track "Capsule" with producer Chris GossChris Goss
Christopher Ryan Goss, born August 17, 1958, is an American record producer and musician.-Selected discography:Throughout his career Goss has worked with a wide range of musicians in various genres.* 1988 - Masters of Reality by Masters of Reality...
. Capsule 1 is said to be the first of three or four and to be released sometime in the summer of 2010. Release formats include CD/DVD dualdisc
DualDisc
DualDisc was a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony/BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and 5.1 Entertainment Group and later under the aegis of the Recording Industry Association of America...
, 12" vinyl, and digital downloads. Capsule 1 was released on 14 September 2010.
The band has officially announced the release of its first new studio recording since 2007, "Every Man And Woman Is A Star" . The new single was released through the iTunes store on 31 July 2010.
On 1 August 2010; the band played the sold out music festival Sonisphere, which marked their first UK performance since the tour for their Love album. During the performance the debuted their new single, "Every Man and Woman is a Star". "Every Man and Woman is a Star" was released on 1 August 2010.
On 14 September 2010 the band embarked on a new U.S. tour and released Capsule 1. Capsule 1 was released in conjunction with media technology company Aderra Inc.
Aderra inc.
Aderra Inc. is a music technology company based in Los Angeles, London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Nashville, New York, Paris and Luxembourg. The company specializes in recording live events directly to USB flash drives which are then distributed to the audience before they leave the venue.Aderra Inc...
and was made available in multiple formats including a CD/DVD DualDisc, USB Flash Drive, 12 inch vinyl, FLAC download and MP3 download. The collection includes a short film made by singer Ian Astbury and Rick Rogers.
On 26 October 2010 the band and Aderra Inc.
Aderra inc.
Aderra Inc. is a music technology company based in Los Angeles, London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Nashville, New York, Paris and Luxembourg. The company specializes in recording live events directly to USB flash drives which are then distributed to the audience before they leave the venue.Aderra Inc...
announced the release of a new song, Embers, for 1 November 2010 and "Capsule 2" available through their webstore on 16 November 2010.
Pictures from The Cult's recent tour stop in Chicago on 28 October 2010 can be seen at a local radio station website.
Future ninth studio album (2011-present)
During The Cult's concert at the Hammersmith Apollo in London on 21 January 2011 Ian Astbury declared that The Cult would be recording a new album directly after the tour. They also announced that they would be working with Chris GossChris Goss
Christopher Ryan Goss, born August 17, 1958, is an American record producer and musician.-Selected discography:Throughout his career Goss has worked with a wide range of musicians in various genres.* 1988 - Masters of Reality by Masters of Reality...
, who performed with Masters of Reality
Masters of Reality
Masters of Reality is a hard rock group formed in 1981 by guitarist and singer Chris Goss and Tim Harrington in Syracuse, New York. The band is sometimes associated with the "Palm Desert Scene", which includes bands like Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age and many other stoner rock or "desert rock"...
as a supporting act the same evening. On 11 May 2011, it was announced that The Cult were signed to Cooking Vinyl Records
Cooking Vinyl
Cooking Vinyl is a UK-based independent record company, founded in 1986. Its original orientation was toward contemporary folk music—notably Billy Bragg, and Michelle Shocked's Texas Campfire Tapes, recorded on a Sony Walkman, one of its first releases...
, who will release the new album in early 2012. Commented guitarist Billy Duffy
Billy Duffy
Billy Duffy is an English guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist in The Cult.-Early days:He grew up in Manchester, where he began playing guitar at the age of fourteen...
: "We are very much looking forward to returning to our U.K. roots in many ways working with Cooking Vinyl." Vocalist Ian Astbury
Ian Astbury
Ian Astbury is an English rock musician and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist for the rock band, The Cult.-Pre-Cult:...
added, "We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Cooking Vinyl." By May 2011, the band had been writing and recording new demos at its Witch Mountain studio hideaway in the Hollywood Hills, and began recording their new album at Hollywood Recording Studios. According to bassist Chris Wyse
Chris Wyse
Chris Wyse is the current bass guitarist for the influential hard rock band The Cult. He is also the vocalist and bassist of his own band, Owl.Wyse tried out for Metallica to replace Jason Newsted in 2003, and can be seen on the DVD Some Kind of Monster...
, the album is almost finished and expected to be released in April 2012. Chris also described it as a "Zep
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
/Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
mix of energy." On November 29, 2011, it was announced that the album will be produced Bob Rock
Bob Rock
Robert Jens Rock, , is a Canadian musician, sound engineer, and record producer best known for producing bands such as Aerosmith, The Cult, Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, 311, Metallica, Our Lady Peace, The Offspring and most recently Bush.-Payola$ and Rock and Hyde:Rock began his music career in Langford,...
, who provided the same role on Sonic Temple
Sonic Temple
Sonic Temple is the fourth album by The Cult, released in 1989. In addition to being a continuation of the band's hard rock sound that was introduced on their previous album, Electric, Sonic Temple features some of the band's most popular songs, "Fire Woman", "Sun King", "Edie " and "Sweet Soul...
, The Cult
The Cult (album)
The Cult is the sixth studio album from English rock band, The Cult. It was released in October, 1994 on Beggars Banquet Records and it is also the band's last album on Sire Records in the USA. It is also commonly referred to as the "Black Sheep" record, due to the image of a Manx Loaghtan black...
and Beyond Good and Evil
Beyond Good and Evil (album)
Beyond Good and Evil is the seventh studio album by English rock band The Cult. Released in 2001, it marked their first new recording in six and a half years. The record debuted at #37 on the charts in the United States, #22 in Canada, #25 in Spain....
.
Members
- Ian AstburyIan AstburyIan Astbury is an English rock musician and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist for the rock band, The Cult.-Pre-Cult:...
- lead vocals, percussion (1983–1995, 1999–present) - Billy DuffyBilly DuffyBilly Duffy is an English guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist in The Cult.-Early days:He grew up in Manchester, where he began playing guitar at the age of fourteen...
- lead guitar (1983–1995, 1999–present) - Chris WyseChris WyseChris Wyse is the current bass guitarist for the influential hard rock band The Cult. He is also the vocalist and bassist of his own band, Owl.Wyse tried out for Metallica to replace Jason Newsted in 2003, and can be seen on the DVD Some Kind of Monster...
- bass (2006–present) - John TempestaJohn TempestaJohn Tempesta is a heavy metal drummer who has worked several bands including: Exodus, Testament and White Zombie. He also played with former White Zombie singer Rob Zombie as a solo artist and served as drum technician for heavy metal band Anthrax earlier in his career...
- drums (2006–present)
Touring musicians
- Mike DimkichMike DimkichMike Dimkich is the rhythm guitarist for The Cult. He has played rhythm guitar with the band The Cult since 1993 whom he met while opening for them in 1989 when he played guitar with Steve Jones . He played in the punk band Channel 3 starting in 1986, and made a record in 1995 with his band...
– rhythm guitar (1993, 1999–present)
Former members
- Les WarnerLes WarnerLes Warner is a British born musician and producer, primarily a drummer best known for his work with The Cult. On the reverse of the Electric album, he is in the far right picture...
- drums - Ray Mondo - drums
- Nigel PrestonNigel PrestonNigel Preston was a British drummer . He was a founding member of The Cult. He also played and recorded with Sex Gang Children, Theatre of Hate, The Gun Club and The Baby Snakes...
- drums - Jamie StewartJamie Stewart (The Cult)Jamie Stewart was bassist of the 1980s British post-punk/hard rock group The Cult. He played bass guitar and keyboards on each of The Cult's first four albums and rhythm guitar on tour in 1987.After leaving The Cult, Stewart worked as a record producer in Canada...
- bass, rhythm guitar - Mark BrzezickiMark BrzezickiMark Brzezicki is a rock drummer, who is primarily known for his work with Big Country, and was a member of the groups The Cult, Ultravox, and Procol Harum. He has also played with Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Midge Ure, Fish, The Pretenders and many others...
- drums - Kid ChaosKid ChaosKid Chaos a.k.a. Haggis is a Welsh rock bassist and guitarist who played in incarnations of hard rock bands Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction, The Cult, and The Four Horsemen as well as guesting with Appetite for Destruction era Guns N' Roses.Harris was born in Wales...
- bass - John Webster - keyboards
- Eric SingerEric SingerEric Doyle Mensinger , better known as Eric Singer, is a hard rock and heavy metal drummer for the rock band Kiss and formerly for singer Alice Cooper...
- drums - Mickey CurryMickey CurryMichael Timothy Curry is an American drummer. He is best known for his long-term collaboration with the singer-songwriter Bryan Adams, although he has also worked with Hall & Oates, Cher, Tina Turner, Alice Cooper, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Sam Phillips, Tom Waits, The Cult, Steve Jones and...
- drums - Matt SorumMatt SorumMatthew William Sorum is an American rock drummer and percussionist. Sorum is most famous for his 7-year stint in Guns N' Roses and supergroup Velvet Revolver , which is comprised in part of former Guns N' Roses members Duff McKagan and Slash .-Early career :Matt Sorum was born Matthew William...
- drums - Todd Hoffman - bass
- James KottakJames KottakJames Kottak is an American drummer for the heavy metal band Scorpions, which he joined in 1996....
- drums - Charley DraytonCharley DraytonCharley Drayton is an American multi-instrumental musician and producer, who has played as a drummer and bass guitarist for many bands and artists and is currently the drummer in Australian rock bands Divinyls and Cold Chisel....
- bass - Michael LeeMichael Lee (musician)Michael Lee was an English drummer who toured and recorded with former Led Zeppelin musicians Robert Plant and Jimmy Page....
- drums - Kinley Wolfe - bass
- John Sinclair - keyboards
- Craig AdamsCraig Adams (musician)Craig Adams is a British musician, bass guitarist and songwriter. Over his career he worked with a variation of rockbands while also being part of a touring crew....
- bass - Scott Garrett - drums
- Martyn LeNobleMartyn LeNobleMartyn LeNoble is a Dutch bassist and founding member of Porno for Pyros.LeNoble started his musical career by playing bass in a Dutch punk rock band when he was 14. In 1989, he moved to Los Angeles and played with the likes of Thelonious Monster and The Too Free Stooges...
- bass - Billy MorrisonBilly MorrisonBilly Morrison is an English guitarist, singer and actor who performs with the Los Angeles-based cover band Camp Freddy. Morrison is also a member of Billy Idol's current touring band, and has previously fronted the hard rock act Circus Diablo...
- rhythm guitar
Discography
- Dreamtime (1984)
- Love (1985)
- ElectricElectric (The Cult album)Electric is the pivotal third album by The Cult. Released in 1987, the album marked a deliberate stylistic change in the band from a Gothic rock to a hard rock band. Rick Rubin, the producer on Electric, had been specifically hired to remake the band's sound...
(1987) - Sonic TempleSonic TempleSonic Temple is the fourth album by The Cult, released in 1989. In addition to being a continuation of the band's hard rock sound that was introduced on their previous album, Electric, Sonic Temple features some of the band's most popular songs, "Fire Woman", "Sun King", "Edie " and "Sweet Soul...
(1989) - Ceremony (1991)
- The CultThe Cult (album)The Cult is the sixth studio album from English rock band, The Cult. It was released in October, 1994 on Beggars Banquet Records and it is also the band's last album on Sire Records in the USA. It is also commonly referred to as the "Black Sheep" record, due to the image of a Manx Loaghtan black...
(1994) - Beyond Good and EvilBeyond Good and Evil (The Cult album)Beyond Good and Evil is the seventh studio album by English rock band The Cult. Released in 2001, it marked their first new recording in six and a half years. The record debuted at #37 on the charts in the United States, #22 in Canada, #25 in Spain....
(2001) - Born into ThisBorn into ThisBorn Into This is The Cult's eighth studio album, and was released on in the US and Canada, also South Africa and Sweden. It was released in Hungary, Denmark, Spain and France on October 1, and in Finland on the 3rd. It is the follow-up to 2001's Beyond Good and Evil, the band's first reunion...
(2007)