Cult - Southern Death Cult

The origins of the Cult can be traced back to 1981, in Bradford, Yorkshire, where vocalist and songwriter Ian Astbury formed a band called Southern Death Cult. The name was chosen with a double meaning, and was derived from the 14th century Native American religion, the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex or Southern Death Cult as it sometimes known, from the Mississippi delta area, but it was also a stab at what the Cult viewed was the centralization of power in Southern England (including that of the music industry); there has long been a perceived notion of a North-South divide based on social, historic and economic reasons. Astbury was joined in the band by Buzz Burrows (guitar), Barry Jepson (bass) and Aki Nawaz Qureshi (drums); they performed their first show at the Queen's Hall in their hometown of Bradford on 29 October 1981. The Cult were at the forefront of a new emerging style of music, in the form of post-punk and gothic rock (then known as positive-punk), Cult achieved critical acclaim from the press and music fans very early on.

The Southern Death Cult signed to independent record label Situation Two, an offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records, and released a three-track, triple A-side single, Moya, during this period. Southern Death Cult toured through England headlining some shows on their own and also touring with Bauhaus and Theatre of Hate. The Southern Death Cult played their final performance in Manchester during February 1983, meaning after only sixteen months the band was over. A compilation under the name The Southern Death Cult was released, this being a collection of the single, radio sessions with John Peel for Radio One and live performances - one of which was recorded by an audience member with a tape recorder.

Cult Tickets at Sold Out Ticket Market
Ticket Market for Cult Tickets