Welcome to the 8424 Tour… 40 years of The Cult.
Sometimes it seems like forever, but when that old friend returns you always greet them with open arms. The Cult is back in Australia for the first time since 2016 when they played a short 5 day, four date tour of the Eastern States. It’s longer still since they hit Perth, their last visit to the beautiful West was three years before when they played this very stage. It’s a welcome return and Perth’s Rock Community turned out in full force to celebrate the anniversary with one of Rock’s most unique and enduring bands.
I go a long way back with The Cult and our editor goes back even further to the days before they dropped ‘Death’ from their name. So it’s always cool to see where we’re heading sonically with each new installment, but man 8 years is a long time between drinks – after all it was only the same amount of time between the post-punk Gothic tinged debut and the fifth album ‘Ceremony’. The great thing about The Cult for me is that they have always continued to evolve whilst keeping true to themselves and in doing so sound like no other.
Tonight in Perth like the rest of the tour we get to see openers Mayatrix and the Psychics, who actually hail from Perth. They have a vintage Gothic sound that takes in elements of everyone from Siouxsie and the Banshees, a little Cocteau Twins and a slice of Bauhaus plus maybe a little . Then add some theatrics and tons of thrown shapes and a lectern-like dual microphone concoction and you have something. Those there seemed to appreciate the sounds. Definitely ones to watch.
Metro City is packed, humid and hot as hell, and before The Cult take to the stage sage is burnt to purify the space, enhance the mood and protect against those airborne nasties. It’s fitting that we open with the ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ from Apocalypse Now as way back in 1979, while living in Glasgow, Astbury heard the Doors‘ song ‘The End’ while watching the film ‘Apocalypse Now’, an experience that not only got him more deeply intwined in music, but with, many years later the band who played that song. Think about it.
The show opens with ‘In The Clouds’ which emerges through the roars of anticipation. It’s a song that has opened all of the shows this year after an absence of nearly 15 years – a gem of a track that only appeared on the compilation ‘High Octane Cult’. And whilst the noise levels are still close to raising the roof – a heady mix of the show finally starting after years of anticipation and the band getting down to business, it’s kina of cool to open with a song about finding yourself despite what’s happening in the world outside. That after al is what music is all about, especially live music.
‘Rise’ from ‘Beyond Good and Evil’ rocks us even more, Astbury centre stage with bandana down over the eyes, tambourine in hand conjuring up a storm in his long baggy black trousers and long black top. He’s the perfect counterpoint to Billy Duffy and bassist Charlie Jones who flank him either side and just get to the business of rocking out.
I always had a special affinity for ‘Wild Flower’ (one of two tracks from ‘Electric’) as I was there at Sheffield City Hall when it was first played back in 1987 – 37 years ago. It elicits a hug roar of approval from a crowd that is surely now sold out. And whilst the setlist is a wonderfully paced, beautifully constructed essence of the band’s 40 years some moments just shine through. I’ll not forget the whole crowd, as one, singing their heart’s out to this one, completely lost in the moment.
‘Star’ (from the lyrically intense eponymous record) and ‘Witch’ (another that only appeared on a compilation – ‘For Rockers, Ravers, Lovers and Sinners’) follow proving that the 90’s were just as glorious musically as were the 80’s for the band. It’s great to see the wonderful reception too for ‘Mirror’ from the latest record 2022’s ‘Under the Midnight Sun’. It’s clear that almost the entire room is still buying the records!
I always had a soft spot for ‘Beyond Good and Evil’ (which was almost called ‘The Demon Process’ according to Ian) and its hypnotic opener ‘War (The Process)’ another rare gem rarely played since 2001 and sounding wonderful tonight. If you stop to think of it most bands would kill for the kind of deep cuts The Cult has and Astbury attacks every song with vigor, whilst the rest of the band just play it straight down the line. It’s a wonderful combination of Rock and Roll show and religious experience!
Tonight’s highlight for me is a song that meant so much when I first watched The Cult – ‘Resurrection Joe’ – I still have that cut out vinyl 12″ record (and the 7″). It’s a song that introduced The Cult and one that perfectly encapsulates the underground sound of the early 80’s – dark, Gothic, off the wall and yet completely danceable. Shot to us tonight from a world where genre labels were an inconvenience it’s one of the things that made The Cult so exciting to a teenager and one that’s been nearly 38 years since I heard it last. Incredible!
It’s hard to come down after a moment like that, so it’s almost magical that the band has thought of that with a cruise through the paean to the brightest of Warhol’s stars in ‘Edie (Ciao Baby)’ before we start to build again as more big hitters converge on Metro City. First there’s the wonderfully enigmatic ‘Sweet Soul Sister’ almost ever present in the set since ‘Sonic Temple’ dropped. That is followed by the highlight of ‘Weapon of Choice’ – ‘Lucifer’ and from then on in it’s dreamtime for any fan of the band!
‘Fire Woman’ starts the overdrive, and ‘Rain’ and ‘Spiritwalker’ bring back waves of memories of those early years, it’s intense and exhilerating and completely off the charts on the floor. Metro City is going wild and just when you think it has peaked those glorious fat chords ring out and ‘Love Removal Machine’ lifts the roof completely.
Some bands have nowhere to go after a closer like that but the encores – both from the ‘Love’ album, show why The Cult has such longevity. There’s the intricate and timeless ‘Brother Wolf, Sister Moon’ which wonderfully encapsulates the beauty and pain of a waning world in its simple and hypnotic lyric. And then there’s the anthem of my youth and arguable a generation – the stomp and power of ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ one of the greatest songs of all time. No one here would argue.
Everyone goes home in a better place than they came. Let’s hope it’s not long till one of Rock’s real greats is back again.
Setlist
Intro tape: ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ from Apocalypse Now
In The Clouds
Rise
Wild Flower
Star
The Witch
Mirror
War (The Process)
Resurrection Joe
Edie (Ciao Baby)
Sweet Soul Sister
Lucifer
Fire Woman
Rain
Spiritwalker
Love Removal Machine
Encore
Brother Wolf, Sister Moon
She Sells Sanctuary
