Cult, The

The Cult is a British rock band. more...

History

Early days: Gothic scene and debut (1981-1984)

In 1981, singer Ian Astbury joined a local, singer-less band, and renamed the outfit "Southern Death Cult". This quartet toured and recorded for about 16 months, releasing one single ("Moya") before breaking up in early 1983. Shortly thereafter, Astbury teamed up with guitarist Billy Duffy to form Death Cult. Duffy had previously been in The Nosebleeds and then Theatre of Hate, a band that Southern Death Cult had toured with in 1982.

Death Cult existed on the fringes of the Gothic scene in London, and originally consisted of Ian Astbury (vocals) Billy Duffy (guitar), Jamie Stewart (bass) and Raymond Taylor Smith (aka Ray Mondo) (drums). Death Cult released an EP and a single during 1983 ("Brothers Grimm" and "God's Zoo"). In September of that year, Mondo was replaced by drummer Nigel Preston. To tone down the Gothic connotations of their name, and to gain broader appeal, the band changed its name simply to "The Cult" on January 13 1984, just before appearing on Channel 4 television show The Tube.

In 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 by a second single, "Go West" that summer, before the release of Dreamtime in September, an album which reached UK#21. Both before and after the album's release, The Cult toured extensively throughout 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 Sisterhood (soon to become The Mission).

Read more at Wikipedia.org