Originally known as first Southern Death Cult, then Death Cult, this UK rock band was formed by lead singer Ian Astbury (b. 14 May 1962, Heswall, Cheshire, England) in 1981. After a youth spent in Merseyside, Scotland and Canada (where he gained early exposure to the culture of native Indians on the Six Nations Reservation, informing the early stages of the band's career), Astbury moved into a house in Bradford, Yorkshire, and discovered a band rehearsing in the basement. The personnel included Haq Quereshi (drums), David "Buzz" Burrows (guitar) and Barry Jepson (bass). As their vocalist, Astbury oversaw a rapid rise in fortunes, their fifth gig and London debut at the Heaven club attracting a near 2,000-strong audience. Southern Death Cult made their recording debut in December 1982 with the double a-side "Moya"/"Fatman", and released a self-titled album on Beggars Banquet Records. They supported Bauhaus on tour in early 1983. However, by March the band had folded, Astbury reeling from his perceived image of "positive punk" spokesman, and the fact that his native Indian concept was being diluted by the band's format.
Astbury's new outfit, operating under the truncated name Death Cult, would, he vowed, not become a victim of hype in the same way again (Quereshi, Jepson and Burrows would go on to join Getting The Fear, subsequently becoming Into A Circle before Quereshi re-emerged as the centrepiece of Fun-Da-Mental's "world dance" ethos under the name Propa-Ghandi). A combination of the single, demo and live tracks was posthumously issued as the sole SDC album. Death Cult comprised the rhythm section of recently deceased gothic band Ritual, namely Ray "The Reverend" Mondo (b. Ray Taylor-Smith, Sierra Leone; drums) and Jamie Stewart (b. Harrow, London, England; bass), plus guitarist Billy Duffy (b. William Henry Duffy, 12 May 1961, Hulme, Manchester, England; ex-Theatre Of Hate). They made their debut in July 1983 with a four-track 12-inch, at which time Astbury also changed his own name (he had previously been using Ian Lindsay, which, it later transpired, was his mother's maiden name).
After an appearance at the Futurama festival Mondo swapped drumming positions with Sex Gang Children's Nigel Preston (d. 7 May 1992), a former colleague of Duffy's in Theatre Of Hate. However, 1984 brought about a second and final name change - with the band feeling that the Death prefix typecast them as a "gothic" act, they became simply the Cult. They recorded their first album together, Dreamtime, for release in September 1984, its sales boosted by a number 1 single in the independent charts with the typically anthemic "Spiritwalker". Another strong effort followed early the next year with the anthemic "She Sells Sanctuary", but this was to prove Preston's swansong. Mark Brzezicki (b. 21 June 1957, Slough, Berkshire, England) of Big Country helped out on sessions for the forthcoming album until the permanent arrival of Les Warner (b. 13 February 1961, Fulham, London, England), who had previously worked with Johnny Thunders, Julian Lennon and Randy California.
The Cult's major commercial breakthrough came with Love in 1985, which comprised fully-fledged hard rock song structures and pushed Duffy's guitar lines to the fore. It reached number 4 in the UK, and spawned two UK Top 20 hit singles in the aforementioned "She Sells Sanctuary" and "Rain". Electric marked the completion of the band's transition to heavy rock. There was no disguising their source of inspiration, with Led Zeppelin being mentioned in nearly every review. Part-produced by Rick Rubin, Electric was a bold and brash statement of intent, if not quite the finished item. It became a success on both sides of the Atlantic, peaking at number 4 and 38 in the UK and US charts, respectively. The gigs to promote it prompted the band to add bass player Kid Chaos (b. Stephen Harris, Wales; ex-Zodiac Mindwarp And The Love Reaction), with Stewart switching to rhythm guitar.
Both Chaos and Warner were dispensed with in March 1988, the former joining Four Horsemen. Reduced to a three-piece of Astbury, Stewart and Duffy, the sessions for Sonic Temple found them temporarily recruiting the services of drummer Mickey Curry (b. Michael Timothy Curry, 10 June 1956, New Haven, Connecticut, USA). It was an album which combined the atmospheric passion of Love with the unbridled energy of Electric, and reached number 3 in the UK and number 10 on the US Billboard chart. For its 1989 world tour, the band was augmented by Matt Sorum (b. Matthew Sorum, 19 November 1960, Mission Viejo, California, USA; drums) and Mark Taylor (keyboards).
Stewart quit in 1990, while Sorum would go on to a tenure with Guns N'Roses. Ceremony was released in 1991, with the help of Charey Drayton (bass), Benmont Tench (keyboards) and the returning Mickey Curry. This was a retrogressive collection of songs, which had more in common with Love than their previous two albums. Nevertheless, having already established an enormous fanbase, success was virtually guaranteed. The Pure Cult compilation duly topped the UK charts in February 1993. Introducing new drummer Scott Garrett, The Cult found them reunited with producer Bob Rock on a set that included the rather clumsy Kurt Cobain tribute "Sacred Life". By this time, however, Astbury had departed and later resurfaced with a new band, the Holy Barbarians.
In 1999, Astbury, Duffy, Sorum and Martyn LeNoble (b. 14 April 1969, Vlaardingen, Netherlands; bass, ex-Porno For Pyros) re-formed the Cult, although the latter was soon replaced by Chris Wyse. Astbury released the solo Spirit/Light/Speed the following year, while the band worked on their debut album for Atlantic Records, Beyond Good And Evil. Poorly promoted by the label, the album sunk without a trace following an initial sales spurt. Astbury put the Cult on hiatus in 2002 to concentrate on his commitments to touring as Jim Morrison's replacement with the revived Doors (later known as Doors Of The 21st Century, D21c, and Riders On The Storm). He revived the band in 2005 for a world tour, with a line-up featuring Duffy, Wyse, John Tempesta (b. 26 September 1964, New York City, New York, USA; drums), and Mike Dimkitch (guitar).
