The Cult are the spawn of a hypothetical “what if…” scenario of Jim Morrison being born a decade later than he was and experiencing the punk movement first hand. Ian Astbury — the Morrison stand-in on an aughts tour with surviving members of The Doors — brings frontman charisma and countercultural mysticism that wouldn’t be out of place in 1960s, but with an over-the-top flair that could best be described as punk-adjacent.
Astbury scrapped his first band, goth rockers Southern Death Cult, but kept some of the vibe and variations on the name as he stepped into a partnership with guitarist and fellow Briton Billy Duffy that would define them both musically: Astbury, hair swinging as he delivered vocal come-ons and incantations; Duffy, oozing punk cool and hard rock vitality with his Chuck Berry riffs and post-punk caterwauling harmonics.
The pairing was volatile, but it produced a distinct sound and some indelible music that headbangers, punks and goths could all get with. We challenge you to find a better anthem than “Rain” or “She Sells Sanctuary” as the set-up for an interesting Saturday night. That chemistry has kept The Cult in front of audiences for most of the last 30 years, give or take a few breaks.
Under the Midnight Sun, released in late 2022, is The Cult’s 11th studio album. It might have arrived sooner but for the Covid-19 pandemic, and what did emerge was a product of remote work with Duffy and Astbury doing their recording — in almost too perfect an arrangement for famously quarrelsome bandmates — on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
They road-tested new songs on dates last year with Alice Cooper, Creeper, Zola Jesus and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club — an assortment that underlines the strange place The Cult occupy in the zeitgest. They’ve toured with Bauhaus, they worship Johnny Thunders, they’re into Native American imagery and culture, and are probably welcome in any biker bar in the land. The Cult hail from a moment in music when anything that could be weird and awesome was encouraged to be weird and awesome.
The Cult play 8pm Wednesday, May 17 at Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale ~ Tim Moffatt
