T-shirts featuring The Cult’s classic albums and logos were doing a roaring trade in the Usher Hall foyer.
Cash-only sales of Billy Duffy signed pictures, a plectrum box, stickers and badges also proved to be a popular draw.
The Cult crank up with the industrial-flavoured crunch of In The Clouds and the sweaty throng began to move around and raise their hands. Wild Flower is an early highlight from their 1987 album Electric which helps kick the band into gear.
When Ian Astbury sings under a black bandana “I’m a wolf child” as Duffy’s circular rock solid riff spins around it’s a magical moment. By the time of Sonic Temple (1989), the former goths had become a full-blown denim and leather-clad rock band. Sweet Soul Sister from the period is one of those soaring epic tracks that hasn’t diminished.
Similarly, they deliver an arresting and bright acoustic version of Edie (Ciao Baby) stripping the song to the bare bones. The Cult don’t need elaborate stage sets or lighting, they rely on good old fashioned stage-craft, the music and particularly their classic 1980s triumvirate Love, Electric and Sonic Temple.
Astbury tells the crowd not to be shy as Duffy begins the opening riff to Rain. His guitar work, much like his fellow Mancunians and Manchester City supporters Johnny Marr and Noel Gallagher, retains a distinctive, hypnotic power. Astbury and Duffy have plenty of gas left in the tank, they finish with what else but She Sells Sanctuary. Their 1985 hit retains an otherworldly feel that benefits from the atmospheric conditions of a sold-out and fired-up Usher Hall.
You can see how much this all means to Astbury who never fails to mention his Scottish roots while allowing his Glasgow accent to return for the night. The Cult partly boil down to Astbury and Duffy’s solid partnership, while they might be opposites their respect for what the other does partly holds them together.
They both delivered a heartfelt nod to the other at the end of the night. The Cult’s forty-year union shows no sign of decline.
At Usher Hall.
