THE CULT (Live)

at The City Hall, Newcastle, U.K. October 30, 2024

THE CULT (Live at The City Hall, Newcastle, U.K. October 30, 2024)
Photo: Mick Burgess

Has it really been 40 years since The Cult first graced the stage at Tiffany’s in Newcastle, a nightclub that changed its name many times over the years before being converted into student accommodation?

A lot has changed since then with The Cult not only having a fair few lineup changes but also going through a kaleidoscope of musical progression too which has seen them go from full on gothic to psychedelic, stripped down hard rock and supercharged arena rock and back again and pretty much everything in between where no two albums sound the same. This music evolution is one of the reasons why they have succeeded in staying relevant for four decades and why their 40th anniversary show was a sell out in Newcastle.

Covering a lot of ground over their one and a half hour set, The Cult dug deep to deliver a show that would leave few disappointed.

Never one to play it safe, they opened with, “In The Clouds”, which originally appeared on the Are You Ready For This compilation soundtrack before cranking up the riffs for “Rise” with the first of the hits “Wildflower” following with a swift sucker punch.

Vocalist Ian Astbury was in fine form with his voice strong, clear and melodic performing the songs in their original keys unlike some of his peers while Billy Duffy delivered some sterling riffs and inspired solos while pulling off a slew of guitar hero poses while retaining a sense of cool and fun.

“Star” from their self-titled album and “Mirror” from their most recent release Under The Midnight Sun had a classy edge to them and showed The Cult are not a band to rest on their laurels.

A mid-set highlight in “Resurrection Joe”, from the EP that linked their debut album to their breakthrough Love album kept the older fans more than happy.

An acoustic “Edie (Ciao Baby)” showed just what a great voice Astbury has and gave the very hot and exuberant crowd a moment to catch their breath before the avalanche of hits that followed from “Rain”, and “Love Removal Machine” to the arena shaking “Fire Woman” and “Sweet Soul Sister”, The Cult were untouchable.

The vintage “Spiritwalker” invoked a mini riot on the floor as many relieved those halcyon days of the first tour 40 years ago.

The dark moody Gothic infused “Brother Wolf Sister Moon” was the calm before the storm before “She Sells Sanctuary” finished off an already exhausted crowd.

The rapturous reaction at the end clearly stunned both Astbury and Duffy who stood and soaked it all in. Astbury has the reputation for reprimanding audiences who he thinks aren’t receptive enough but tonight his beaming smile and long speech of appreciation showed that this was one special night and a performance befitting a 40th anniversary celebration.

Author

  • Mick Burgess

    Mick is a reviewer and photographer here at Metal Express Radio, based in the North-East of England. He first fell in love with music after hearing Jeff Wayne's spectacular The War of the Worlds in the cold winter of 1978. Then in the summer of '79 he discovered a copy of Kiss Alive II amongst his sister’s record collection, which literally blew him away! He then quickly found Van Halen I and Rainbow's Down To Earth, and he was well on the way to being rescued from Top 40 radio hell!   Over the ensuing years, he's enjoyed the Classic Rock music of Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, and Deep Purple; the AOR of Journey and Foreigner; the Pomp of Styx and Kansas; the Progressive Metal of Dream Theater, Queensrÿche, and Symphony X; the Goth Metal of Nightwish, Within Temptation, and Epica, and a whole host of other great bands that are too numerous to mention. When he's not listening to music, he watches Sunderland lose more football (soccer) matches than they win, and occasionally, if he has to, he goes to work as a property lawyer.

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