The Cult
The Cult
Think of Ian Astbury, the self-dramatizing frontman for The Cult, as a slicker version of Glenn Danzig. The bulldogging, unpretty Danzig version of rock-punk-boogie-goth is a notch sharper, and should wear better over the long haul, than The Cult’s more style-conscious type. But for now it’s the worldy-sounding Astbury, not the misanthropic Danzig, who enjoys place of pride as vintage post-punk’s dark-hearted luminary.
Nowadays The Cult are making the gatekeeper-sanctioned rounds at events such as Coachella (2014) and SXSW (2012/2016). They will also get a cred-affirming cameo in auteur Terrence Malick’s next movie (working title Weightless) alongside actress Rooney Mara if their scenes survive the editing.
The Cult’s late-career stride owes mainly to output from three decades ago. But these black-clad conjurers have also leveraged the affection for their ‘80s hybrid of rock swagger and goth atmosphere to produce new music.
The just-released tenth album, Hidden City, finds Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy back in their reliably testy sonic embrace: Astbury’s incantations and Duffy’s head-banging riffage, sometimes entangled and sometimes diverging, and always sounding unmistakably like The Cult.
Where the younger band reveled in its erotic savvy and rock-god supremacy on standouts such as She Sells Sanctuary and Love Removal Machine, The Cult in 2016 rocks hard but with a sense of reckoning.
“The stream of life is fading/These generations fading/Shadows with us falling/Forever with you,” Astbury sings on “Hinterland,” in a mood and sentiment that permeate Hidden City. The libertines of 1989’s “Fire Woman” are now contemplating a world in flames.
It’s all a bit dire and pompous, but there’s also a defiant humanity at work that’s to The Cult’s eternal credit. “Every soul alive burns bright in this life,” Astbury wails on the bullish rocker, “Dark Energy,” signaling that his band may not be done with us yet.
The Cult perform 8:30pm Saturday, April 16, at the Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, 305-673-7300. Tickets are $35 – $130 BUY NOW.
~Sean Piccoli
