“Your prostate…know where it is…stick your finger up your ass and tickle it.”

- advertisement -

All Photos By Geoff Ketler/Aces High Photography

THE CULT hit the States hard in support of their latest effort, Hidden City, which dropped just last month. Founding members Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy alongside drummer John Tempesta and touring members Damon Fox (Keys/Rhythm Guitars) and Grant Fitzpatrick (Bass) found themselves across the pond in Northfield, Ohio. The mystical rockers who gained commercial success in the mid and late eighties were in town to bring the rock back to the masses and as Ian Astbury said during their set; “We’re not here for some nostalgic bullshit.”

Support came in the form of Des Moines, Iowa natives, HOLY WHITE HOUNDS. Think NIRVANA meets THE RAMONES. The set was full of very crunchy grooves, but not too heavy. They were a perfect fit for THE CULT. The Razor & Tie signees worked the crowd really well. Highlight was the first single of their soon-to-be-released album Sparkle Sparkle, “Switchblade”.

https://www.facebook.com/holywhitehounds

After a swift set change, THE CULT took the stage with “Dark Energy”. Guitarist Billy Duffy posted up stage-left, where he would seldom leave for the entirety of the set. Besides the occasional signature windmill move on the guitar (picture the cover of Sonic Temple) he was pretty mechanical and did not really show too much emotion. Center stage was vocalist Ian Astbury with his trusty tambourine in hand.

Ian Astbury defines the word eccentric. He is able to combine his talented vocals with charm, showmanship and interesting dialogue. He would often get a rise out of the crowd by pestering one of the concert goers who was sitting down off and on during the band’s performance. Several times Ian asked fans to put down their cameras and cell phones; even at one point yelling out “put your fucking cameras down; you are missing the show…you are missing the show”. His sometimes incoherent, but fascinating, ramblings ranged in topics from his son joining the service to rich people leaving the planet in rockets. Bottom line is that he has still got that “it” factor that gives THE CULT that swagger that has left a mark on the music industry for the past 30+ years.

The setlist was a solid mixed bag of old and new material alike. Several selections from the new record were in there alongside fan favorites like “Wild Flower”, “Sweet Soul Sister” and “Fire Woman”. Highlight of the lengthy set was “Rise” off of 2001’s Beyond Good And Evil, which Astbury introduced as “dark, poetic, beautiful and violent”. I noticed that John Tempesta’s drums seemed to get louder during certain portions of the set. I don’t mean he played harder – they were noticeably turned up during the encore. I found that interesting, especially since throughout the night the sound just felt like it was a little bit muted or hollow at times. The songs were tight and the fan favorites went over really well with the crowd.

Setlist:

• “Dark Energy”
• “Rain”
• “Wild Flower”
• “Horse Nation”
• “Hinterland”
• “Rise”
• “Gone”
• “Lil’ Devil”
• “Birds Of Paradise”
• “Deeply Ordered Chaos”
• “Sweet Soul Sister”
• “Fire Woman”
• “The Phoenix”
• “She Sells Santuary”