Concert Review: The Cult at Stubb’s, Austin. UK alt-rock veterans return to Austin for blistering set.
There was a sense of legacy surrounding The Cult’s performance this past Sunday at Stubb’s Amphitheater. After a strong-set from doom metal outfit King Woman, the pre-show music was chock full of the post-punk acts The Cult emerged with in the mid-80’s. It reminded the audience both of the band’s New Wave roots as well as the sonic mutations and transitions that would follow over the group’s now 39 years together.
Afterwards, the band hit the stage, guns blazing, with Rise off their 2001 nu-metal flirtation Beyond Good and Evil. The primal chug and blistering pace of the track proved the perfect set-opener, getting the crowd pumped and showing the band in fine form.
Much of the set pulled from their 1989 platinum smash album Sonic Temple, from the majestic Sun King, the R&B shuffle Automatic Blues, the power ballad tribute Edie (Ciao Baby) and the anthemic Fire Woman.
The sound of the band was expansive, aided by keyboard player Damon Fox, who brought a synth-remix quality to another Sonic Temple staple, the stomping Sweet Soul Sister, and widescreen cinematic sheen to material like Love-era classics Rain (which also featured propulsive percussion from John Tempesta) and the iconic She Sell Sanctuary. Elsewhere he added rhythm guitar-sample stabs on Electric hits like Lil’ Devil and Wildflower.
Guitarist Billy Duffy was his reliable sturdy self, particularly shining on deep cuts like the primal Peace Dog and the Zeppelin-esque Aphrodisiac Jacket, unfurling his crunchy riffs and searing leads (ever the perfectionist, he sometimes scowled at the sound mix, an endearing trait familiar to longtime fans).
Vocalist Ian Astbury was in a feisty mood, asking for Austinites to send the “tech bros back to California,” saying that the Texas capital is “the real Texas, waiting for the rest of the state to catch up.” As is his wont, he varied between sticking to his vocal script and offering variations on a theme, his bellowing baritone still soaring despite thickening with age.
But for a band with their original members in their 60’s, The Cult showed few signs of aging. They played one song off their upcoming album Under The Midnight Sun (click here for my review), the haunting, ethereal A Cut Inside, which the singer prefaced with “Don’t applaud, you haven’t heard it yet!”
After finishing the song (which was warmly received) Astbury revealed the single was written about the passing of his French Bulldog. “I’m a tiger, but I’m also a dog lover”, he said tenderly, adding “I love you Ra, and I’ll see you soon.”
The band encored with 90’s techno-hybrid The Witch, with Astbury switching from his trademark tambourine to a pair of maracas, before the group closed with their 80’s smash Love Removal Machine, their classic barnburner that whipped the crowd into a frenzy.
Astbury closed the set singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Fox, while adding that The Cult have been playing at Stubb’s for nearly three decades. Then Duffy thanked the crowd for supporting the group all these years. Astbury then voiced his support for reproductive rights, begging for the audience to fight back after the Supreme Court’s strike down of Roe Vs. Wade. It was a sobering yet touching moment.
A Cult concert is always a communal, tribal experience, and the mutual admiration between band and audience was palpable. As Astbury said years ago, “We don’t have fans, we have addicts,” and everyone who attended emerged recharged having gotten their fix.