The last minute withdrawal of post-Punk rockers Killing Joke from the tour and the bizarre disappearance of iconic frontman Jaz Coleman along with phantom Facebook postings threatened to overshadow what had promised to be one of THE tours of the year. However, from adversity comes strength and it came as no surprise that The Mission and headliners The Cult stepped up to the mark and delivered where it really counted.
Having split acrimoniously from Gothic legends The Sisters of Mercy back in 1986, Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams wasted no time turning their musical vision into reality. Throughout the latter part of the ’80s, The Mission personified the moody, darker side of the Gothic culture yet retained enough commerciality to cross over to the mainstream bringing chart success along the way. Tower of Strength and Wasteland excelled with the moody lighting enhancing the ambience of the show highlighting the grandiose nature of the songs.
Hussey may not be the most charismatic of frontmen but his vocals and sultry demeanour were the perfect fit for the band. The hair may be more silver than black these days but The Mission have lost none of their musical vigour.
Having started life as The Southern Death Cult in the early ’80s, The Cult have reinvented themselves more times the Madonna, evolving from their early Gothic roots through the Psychedelia of their breakthrough Love album to the Classic Rock of the multi-million selling Sonic Temple. With many more twists and turns throughout their career, The Cult are anything but predictable.
With the nucleus of Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy still intact almost 3 decades later, The Cult remain a scintillating live act. Astbury is the consummate Rock showman while Duffy the epitome of understated cool and together they gel like Jagger/Richards.
Despite recently proclaiming an end to their recording career, they took an about turn and released Weapon of Choice earlier this year, an album that sits alongside their very best work. Clearly reinvigorated by their new found creativity, around half of the album was aired with For the Animals and the moody Life is Greater than Death in particular proving that they are no mere nostalgia act.
The Cult didn’t shy from playing their classics either with She Sells Sanctuary, Love Removal Machine and Fire Woman being greeted like long lost friends while Spirit Walker and an exuberant Horse Nation from the criminally underrated debut album Dreamtime kept the hardcore fans happy.
The loss of Killing Joke from the bill may have been a blow but spirited performances and extended sets by the Mission and particularly The Cult ensured that any lingering disappointments were long forgotten.
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