The Cult
Where: The Royal Theatre
When: Thursday, Sept. 19
Rating: ★★★★☆
The Cult always seemed to be on the brink of stardom, despite never reaching the level of those with whom they were closely aligned.
Guns ‘N Roses famously opened for The Cult in 1987, when Axl Rose and Co. were taking their first steps toward stardom. But by 1989, The Cult was the opening act for Metallica, who were two years away from becoming the biggest rock band in the world. One step forward, one step back is the story of The Cult for the better part of their 40-year career.
But on Thursday night, the British band — led by singer Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy — performed like it was kicking out the jams at Wembley Stadium, instead of the Royal Theatre. To be fair, The Cult should have played a much bigger venue for their first Vancouver Island performance since 2014. The upside is that all 1,400 seats were sold in rapid fashion, which gave the room a distinct Friday night feel. Longtime fans roared early and often, and the band was evidently pleased with the reception (more on that later).
Highlight-reel moments were plentiful on this night. The band has certifiable radio hits, and given the radio-heavy and MuchMusic-friendly era from which they came, that means longtime fans who were raised in the ’80s have a strong bond to said songs. Many were performed, from Wild Flower and Rain to Sweet Soul Sister. But because this is the band’s 40th anniversary world tour, some lesser-known material was performed, including Spiritwalker, from 1984’s Dreamtime. That these period hits received a warm welcome tells you something about the audience on Thursday.
There was a triumvirate of tracks, however, that warrant specific mention: the contemplative, emotional Edie (Ciao Baby), which was performed acoustically; the hard-charging Love Removal Machine, the second-best song of the night; and the whirling dervish that is She Sells Sanctuary, which capped the show with a thunderous attack. It was on these stylistically unique songs the band exhibited the spark that could have made them household name for the majority of their four decades together.
Fire Woman, however, was a jarring and rare misstep. Astbury’s voice has the same power and passion of Chris Cornell, who is known as one of the best singers in rock history. Astbury isn’t quite there, but he sounded exceptionally strong — on everything but Fire Woman (alternatively, the mid-tempo Edie gave him the chance to peel wallpaper off the walls, sounding as good here as he did when it was released in 1989.)
Astbury was not the only standout performer. Former White Zombie drummer John Tempesta and Grammy Award-winning bassist Charlie Jones, who played with Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, were very strong, but the parade of Gibson and Gretsch guitars wielded by Duffy was tough to beat. He carried Fire Woman, and made Sweet Soul Sister sound almost symphonic. He is the band’s secret weapon.
Both Duffy and Astbury seemed genuinely moved by the reception at the end of the performance, the band’s 10th and final show on their Canadian tour. “Victoria, you blew my mind,” Astbury said. “Best show of the tour. Seriously, you blew this the f—- out.”
