The Cult's Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy Revisit Origins With Death Cult Anniversary Tour

Bruce Henne | 08-14-2023

Tour poster

(hennemusic) Singer Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy of The Cult have announced that they will revisit their origins as Death Cult on a newly-announced 40th anniversary fall tour.

Originally a member of the UK band Southern Death Cult that formed in 1981, Astbury and the group released a single in 1982 and toured before the rocker disbanded the outfit in 1983.

That same year, the singer teamed up with Duffy to form the post-punk goth outfit Death Cult; the band released two 12-inches records, one being the "Death Cult" EP, which were subsequently combined and released as a CD.

Death Cult became The Cult in 1984, releasing their album debut, "Dreamtime", that same year and going on to experience a career that has seen the release of 11 full-length albums, as well as numerous international and US gold and platinum certifications.

To mark the milestone anniversary of their musical partnership, Astbury and Duffy will highlight their work from the 1980s with a sole US performance on October 23 at The Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles and a two-week UK tour in November.

The shows, while centered around Death Cult and their eponymous EPs, will deliver a setlist that spans the three phases of the band - from Southern Death Cult to Death Cult and The Cult's first two albums: 1984's "Dreamtime" and 1985's "Love."

Get ticket details and stream tracks from the era by Southern Death Cult, Death Cult and The Cult here.