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jackflash27
Do you work in marketing or sales @GasLightStreet?
You do a good job in promoting the album here on IORR. You've got my attention anyway. Will give it a listen.

LOL no. I'm just a fan of The Cult! This new record has really hit in places the previous few have not. iorr.org includes The Cult's homeland area - Europe, England specifically.

Just like The Rolling Stones.

It's just a joy of music.

This is 2024. And close to the end of the year.
But I got to see The Cult at Usher Hall, Edinburgh, last night so here it is.

It was only my second Cult concert, and the first one was at the Koseinenkin Kaikan, the 2,400 seater in Osaka, September 24, 1985…yes, 39 years ago. I quite liked the Dreamtime album back then, and I have a fond memory of the night that was also the group’s Japanese debut. I was somewhat disappointed by their following release, Love, though, and after 1987’s Electric, my interest in The Cult faded. I haven’t since bought or heard any albums of theirs, Sonic Temple onwards. What motivated me to get a ticket this time is that the tour is tagged 8424, celebrating the 40th year since the release of Dreamtime as well as the career span as The Cult after they changed the name from Death Cult.

Their performance last night somehow reminded me of Killing Joke I caught live only once, again in 1985, in terms of the brutal and forceful sound the members generated as one, a merciless sonic barrage they delivered from the stage. There was intense drive that was getting up as the show went on, overpowering the crowd towards the climax. First time I saw them, The Cult felt like a missing link that connected hard rock with post-punk. Now they sound like dark goth metal, whatever description their music is apt for. But that definition may be misleading, for as far as I observed I didn’t spot even one goth type among the 2,900 patrons who filled the venue from floor to ceiling, a complete sell-out — the average clientele was fifty to sixty-something, mostly men in their daily clothing, no fancy apparel whatsoever.

Ian Astbury was full of charisma and nothing short of a rock star frontman swagger. And Billy Duffy played like there is no tomorrow, someone who could raise a ‘guitar hero’ from the ashes in this year 2024. Together they represented the perfect embodiment of a rock singer/guitarist duo onstage.

The current 8424 tour will continue through England and then move on to New Zealand and Australia. If any of you are sitting on the fence, just go. You won’t be disappointed.

[www.stereoboard.com]

[N.B. As of now, most of the remaining UK dates are sold-out. I tried Twickets myself and managed one below face. Also try each venue’s website. They often release the last minute/returned/production seats, like tonight’s O2 Apollo Manchester.]

Saw them in Porto earlier this year. Great atmosphere, great audience, perfect location. Really enjoyed the concert. I know their early work (sonic temple, electric, Love. Their later work is not on that level (bit like the Stones I guess). If you love the Stones, you probably like the Cult, go see them while you can!

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RisingStone
This is 2024. And close to the end of the year.
But I got to see The Cult at Usher Hall, Edinburgh, last night so here it is.

It was only my second Cult concert, and the first one was at the Koseinenkin Kaikan, the 2,400 seater in Osaka, September 24, 1985…yes, 39 years ago. I quite liked the Dreamtime album back then, and I have a fond memory of the night that was also the group’s Japanese debut. I was somewhat disappointed by their following release, Love, though, and after 1987’s Electric, my interest in The Cult faded. I haven’t since bought or heard any albums of theirs, Sonic Temple onwards. What motivated me to get a ticket this time is that the tour is tagged 8424, celebrating the 40th year since the release of Dreamtime as well as the career span as The Cult after they changed the name from Death Cult.

Their performance last night somehow reminded me of Killing Joke I caught live only once, again in 1985, in terms of the brutal and forceful sound the members generated as one, a merciless sonic barrage they delivered from the stage. There was intense drive that was getting up as the show went on, overpowering the crowd towards the climax. First time I saw them, The Cult felt like a missing link that connected hard rock with post-punk. Now they sound like dark goth metal, whatever description their music is apt for. But that definition may be misleading, for as far as I observed I didn’t spot even one goth type among the 2,900 patrons who filled the venue from floor to ceiling, a complete sell-out — the average clientele was fifty to sixty-something, mostly men in their daily clothing, no fancy apparel whatsoever.

Ian Astbury was full of charisma and nothing short of a rock star frontman swagger. And Billy Duffy played like there is no tomorrow, someone who could raise a ‘guitar hero’ from the ashes in this year 2024. Together they represented the perfect embodiment of a rock singer/guitarist duo onstage.

The current 8424 tour will continue through England and then move on to New Zealand and Australia. If any of you are sitting on the fence, just go. You won’t be disappointed.

[www.stereoboard.com]

[N.B. As of now, most of the remaining UK dates are sold-out. I tried Twickets myself and managed one below face. Also try each venue’s website. They often release the last minute/returned/production seats, like tonight’s O2 Apollo Manchester.]

Wow. That's really interesting in regard to you chose to go see them even though you stopped listening eons ago.

Last year they celebrated Death Cult and did a short 8323 tour playing Southern Death Cult, Death Cult and a few songs from DREAMTIME, Resurrection Joe, and three from LOVE (there were only 9 Death Cult songs!). Some fantastic live videos on YouTube, it's really quite stunning.

Their newest album, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN, was recorded in the same studio they used for DREAMTIME and it's absolutely magnificent, a brilliant update of that sound only with maturity, musicianship and a heaviness that is lacking on DREAMTIME (and it's two minutes shorter, an excellent 35 minutes long). A huge throwback to that style of guitar playing Billy Duffy had perfected, that post-punk/goth/new wave chordal chiming melodic guitar lines - a lot of words to describe a rock band with dyed hair and fancy clothes.

In regard to the rest of their catalog that you haven't listened to, their 1994 selt titled album, THE CULT, has elements of Death Cult and early Cult in a decent amount of tunes only a more dirty heavy and... it's more akin to ACHTUNG BABY than anything going on with "grunge" music at that time.

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GasLightStreet
Last year they celebrated Death Cult and did a short 8323 tour playing Southern Death Cult, Death Cult and a few songs from DREAMTIME, Resurrection Joe, and three from LOVE (there were only 9 Death Cult songs!). Some fantastic live videos on YouTube, it's really quite stunning.

I considered going, but as there were some gigs I wanted to go see around that time, regrettably I opted out. I wish I had done. They played seven songs from Dreamtime.

You can’t always…you know

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RisingStone

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GasLightStreet
Last year they celebrated Death Cult and did a short 8323 tour playing Southern Death Cult, Death Cult and a few songs from DREAMTIME, Resurrection Joe, and three from LOVE (there were only 9 Death Cult songs!). Some fantastic live videos on YouTube, it's really quite stunning.

I considered going, but as there were some gigs I wanted to go see around that time, regrettably I opted out. I wish I had done. They played seven songs from Dreamtime.

You can’t always…you know

Ouch.

Well, the live videos are of pretty good quality, even sound wise, so at least there's that. I couldn't go - I don't live in Europe!