November 22, 2024

The Cult – Spark Arena: November 21, 2024 (13th Floor Concert Review)

The Cult returned to Auckland, eight years to the day after their previous show at The Powerstation putting on a show that was, in Ian Asbury’s words, “way better than last time”.

Perhaps the front man was remembering their 2010 show at Trusts Arena…a venue that never fails to disappoint.

The Cult No matter, this time around the band is in fighting form with original members Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy looking and sounding better than anyone in the 60s has a right to (I speak from experience).

I was tempted to go on a mini-rant about how this show should have also been held at The Powerstation, but to their credit, the band played to an audience that was probably twice the size of that venue’s capacity.

Death And The Maiden

Up first (and early) were Dunedin trio Death And The Maiden who have released their third album, Uneven Ground, this past June (their first since 2018). Lucinda King’s voice (and bass playing) is the centrepiece of the band with guitarist Hope Robertson and programmer Danny Brady supporting from the sides.

Their hazy, shoegazie sound might not be everyone’s first pick to open for a band like The Cult, but I, and it seemed many others, dug the diversity.

There seemed to be a few technical events that threatened to mar the set, but the trio pulled through, serving up a feedback-drenched closing number to send us to the refreshment stands.

The Cult

While the openers were early, the headliners were running late…but not by much. At 9:25 the strains of Wagner’s Ride Of The Valkyries filled the room and the four members of The Cult took their places. In addition to Astbury and Duffy, tonight’s band includes drummer John Tempesta and Charlie Jones on bass…trainspotters will know his work with Robert Plant.

The quartet gets down to business cranking out a stomping, swaggering version of In The Clouds that segues seamlessly into Rise. Duffy’s wah-wah pedal sounds like its wound up to ‘10’ and Astbury sounds impressed.

“Thank you…yeah!” he says…as much to his bandmates as to the appreciative audience, who look like they came here to rock and are getting exactly that.

Ian’s tambourine play is on display during Wild Flower…when he’s not playing it, he’s kicking it in the air, making no effort to catch it. Somehow it always comes back.

While this feels like a heads-down, no nonsense rock & roll set…Astbury does have a few things on his mind.

“How many of you guys have Under The Midnight Sun?” he asks after performing Mirror from their most recent album.

The setlist skips all over the place from Mirror to 2001’s War (The Process) to 1984’s Resurrection Joe and it all sounds like it makes sense.

This is not a band that has not gone through “phases”, they are and have always been a straight-up rock band.

The only discernible difference is the semi-acoustic version of Edie (Ciao Baby)….clearly a fan favourite…and that is swiftly followed by the much louder Sweet Soul Sister, a tune that gives Duffy more room to stretch out.

As the 90 minute set moves along, Ian loosens up even more, pointing out a lady (or ladies) in red in the audience, and urging us to “kick out the jams, brothers and sisters”, MC5-style during Love Removal Machine.

“Are you feeling it now”? he asks

Yes, we are.

The Cult

And with that we get an encore of Brother Wolf, Sister Moon and She Sells Sanctuary while Asbury notes that out of the 48 shows this year, this is the best so far.

Maybe he says that to all the fans, but long after the last song died down and his bandmates left the stage, Ian Astbury was still there, kneeling down, possibly praying, as the dulcet sounds of Joan Baez singing The Ballad Of Sacco & Vanzetti filled the room as fans filed out.

“We’re a little lost for words”, Duffy said before he left…”see you in another four years”.

Marty Duda

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