The Cult is celebrating 40 years of music. They have a phenomenal discography of high-energy gothic hard rock classics and a high-octane stage show that blends the rock star swagger of The Doors with 80s contemporaries like The Cure and Billy Idol. Their UK tour brings them back to Manchester for a packed house with support from Jonathan Hulten.
Swedish folk act Jonathan Hulten was a strange opening act. His stage presence was that of an interpretive dancer, with movements syncopated to his vocals. It’s hard to tell if all this movement was choreographed, but it did make for an engaging experience. It may have been a bit high concept and theatrical for some in the audience, but the rest, including myself, were thoroughly enraptured.
Jonathan Hulten was previously a member of the goth metal band Tribulation and his camp aesthetic was wholly established before he went solo but this new folk sound was brand new. The amazing thing about having a risky support band is exposing an audience to something brand new, the majority of older Cult fans would never have made the effort to discover an act like Hulten and many may have even walked out as fans. His strange movements, vocal effects, and incense burning made for a surreal experience that catered to all the senses. The punishing bass helped create something rather unique that many just weren’t ready for. At least he’ll stick in people’s minds in the future, and maybe they’ll spread the word about this weird act.
After a bit of a break, The Cult came on and the real rock show began. Signalled by ‘Ride of The Valkyries’ and audio clips from Apocalypse Now because The Doors comparisons are eternal, the band made their way to the stage. Frontman Ian Astbury brandished his tambourine and the band went through a series of tracks that seemed much heavier than their recorded versions, ‘In the Clouds’ and ‘Rise’ sounded like modern hard rock and had a distinctly heavy edge.
Ian Astbury spent much of the show swinging his mic like some kind of ninja stopping only to substitute it for maracas during tracks like ‘The Witch’. While the tambourine isn’t typically considered a weapon, Ian is deadly with any form of musical instrument and it would be wise to stay on his good side lest you fall victim to his musical brand of Kung Fu treachery.
It’s bizarre to think that a band that is most closely associated with the 80s could sound so modern, it’s a testament to how good the mix was at this show. Everyone had their moment to shine, guitarist Billy Duffy had some blistering guitar solos on tracks like the epic classic ‘Love Removal Machine’. This track had more of a metal edge than most modern metal bands and that theme permeated through the set.
The inclusion of legendary thrash drummer John Tempesta gave the band that extra kick, his drumming on tracks like ‘Resurrection Joe’ which channelled his time in Guns N Roses worked wonders for the band. ‘War’ even gives an Alice In Chains vibe with its crunchy mid-tempo riffing and snarl. “So many bands in resignation, well we are not in resignation” said Astbury as the outfit put in more energy in one song than many younger bands put in the entire show.
There’s a great deal of variety in the show from the acoustic rendition of ‘Ciao Baby’ to the arena rock stylings of ‘Fire Woman’. The whole setlist is a crash course in the history of The Cult which included some mega hits that really should have become monster crossover hits like the anthemic ‘Rain,’ which came with a jazzy little drum and bass intro before the whole band followed suit.
The show ended with the sombre moody track ‘Brother Wolf, Sister Moon’ which gave the band time to slow down the show for one last introspective moment before racing into the eternal banger that everyone came to see: ‘She Sells Sanctuary’. There’s a reason this track is included in so many best of the 80s compilations and even Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
The Cult may not be the biggest band to come out of the 80s but they’ve certainly retained much of their audience while changing with the times just enough to win over the younger crowd. If your only experience with The Cult is ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ then the live show will surely fill in the blanks and help give an appreciation for a band that deserves all the acclaim and praise they get.
