O2 Institute, Birmingham – 14/11/23
There was an air of excitement as I arrived at the O2 Institute in Birmingham on Tuesday night. The venue was packed, and we were all there to celebrate the beginnings of one of the most influential bands in the alternative music world; The Cult.
Support came from Lili Refrain, not someone who I was familiar with, but wow. What a breath of fresh air. I’ve never experienced anything quite like her. Layering music, creating dreamlike soundscapes from the ground up and then adding her amazingly haunting vocals on top, with a dash of electric guitar. Magnificent.
After a brief interval, it was time. The lights dimmed, smoke started bellowing out onto the stage and the band emerged out of the smoke; then came the opening chords to ’83rd Dream’! From the moment Ian Astbury started singing, they had me! What a voice! And the guy doesn’t stand still for a minute!
I was expecting the early stuff and the band didn’t disappoint. The next four songs were Death Cult songs. ‘Christian’s’ followed by ‘Gods Zoo’ were both incredible. I wasn’t overly familiar with the Death Cult material, but I was loving it and if I’d been transported back to 1983, I would be rushing to the record shop the day after this gig to buy the new record. Again, Ian’s voice was killer!
I loved the guitar intro to ‘Brother’s Grim’, Billy’s tone was stunning and those Falcon guitars, wow! I had a major case of guitar envy. Definitely an early highlight! We’re only four songs in and already this show is in my top 10 live gigs! The energy transfer between band and audience was infectious and it was impossible not to be swept along!
‘Ghost Dance’ was great, with the audience lapping up every minute, reliving those early 80’s days before we transitioned into early The Cult material. ‘Butterflies’ and ‘Flowers in the Desert’ follow and it’s interesting, as someone who is not overly familiar with the early catalogue, seeing the slight musical shift between the two bands material.
Ian invites Jamie Stewart, the original bass player, to the stage, which delights the crowd. Reunited with his two former band mates, Jamie takes bass duties on ‘Resurrection Joe’ and ‘Horse Nation’, the first of which was another show highlight for me. What a moment. I loved the guitar riff, and I have to mention Joey Tempesta’s thunderous drumming. Incredible.
The whole band are firing on all cylinders and then the addition of Jamie took the energy to 11. Such a treat for the fans!
Jamie handed the bass back to Charlie who resumed in his position to play the rest of the show. The band delivered fan favourites ‘Hollow Man’ and ‘Spiritwalker’, Ian had the crowd in the palm of his hand at this point. John Tempesta is absolutely hammering the drums and Billy Duffy’s guitar sounds like a carnival. It’s absolutely glorious.
The band exit the stage after a fantastic rendition of ‘Rain’ that had me at least, putting my horns in the air! After a brief moment, the band returns for their encore, which begins with ‘Moya’, a song that if you listen to the words is worryingly relevant again now, 40 years on. ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ closed the show and got the crowd yet again bouncing. I thought they were going to ‘blow the roof off’!
I absolutely loved the night, it was my first time seeing Ian and Billy in action, but it certainly won’t be my last. I arrived tonight knowing one or two songs, ‘Resurrection Joe’, ‘Sanctuary’, ‘Rain’, but I left a fan! I’ve got the first album on order on vinyl as it happens and I’m going to work my way through the discography! The only thing I will say is; the band, despite playing a fantastic set only played 1 hour and 15 minutes! A little short, especially given the price of the tickets. Perhaps an extra song or two would have been nice?
That being said, what a fantastic time I had! And like I said, I will definitely be seeing The Cult again… one of my top ten shows ever! It was absolutely amazing.
