Music Astbury talks about The Cult in Brazil, integrity and football [ENTREVISTA]Fascinated by the “culture of the ultra fans”, singer reflects on “difficult” artistic path that his band followed and warns: his show is not “entertainment” by writing

“It’s been eight years? Oh, m#rda ”. This is how the vocalist Ian Astbury reacted to the first information presented to him in this chat with the Rolling Stone Brazil: The cult He has not returned to Brazil since 2017, when he performed in Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Sao Paulo and Brasilia. In the commitment in the state capital, they played alongside The Who and Alter Bridgein a show defined by his own as “memorable”.

Hiatus caused by the pandemic apart, the English group holds three performances in the country this February. Rio de Janeiro (22/02 – Vivo Rio), São Paulo (23/02 – Viber) and Curitiba (25/02 – Live) receive the quartet formed by Astbury, Billy Duffy (guitar), John Storm (battery) and Charlie Jones (low). Baroness, a Sludge Metal -oriented sound band, will be at the opening. Tickets can be purchased in Thecult.us.

Ian’s history with Brazil is old: his father was a sailor and came a lot to the country in the 1950s. The singer and his group came to shows on seven occasions: 1991, 1995, 2000, 2006, 2008, 2011 and, as Already quoted, 2017. When recalling the latest performance at Allianz Parque, the singer said:

“It was very significant and memorable. You travel to other parts of the world and end up forgetting certain shows. They ask how it went and I just say, ‘It happened’. But I remember this show, because I was exhausted. I even sat down under the stage. When I left, I simply fainted, I had to take energy to get down and out. But the energy was still in the stadium. It was very amazing. ”

In recent years, Astbury and Duffy, leaders of the group, have looked with loving their origins. This is reflected in the current tour that, despite the name “85-25”it is not intended to hold a mere celebration of 40 years. It all started in 2023, when they did shows like Death cult -Band that preceded The Cult and brought an obscure sound than that responsible for consecrating them.

The revision even yielded two songs released in vinyl and streaming: “Flesh and Bone” and “QUOTA”both like Death cult. Live, they are the cult again, but with the energy of the predecessor group.

“I felt that Death Cult was more relevant now than it was for decades. I know this feeling is very influential in culture. We are at this moment Darkwave. Until Lady Gaga made an album (Mayhem) Dark Wave – or she says she did it. Sound pop for me, but she works with rock producers and GESATFFELSTEIN (Daft Punk, Charli XCX, Haim, The Weeknd etc), it seems to have clothes in a very avant -garde style. The logo vaguely refers to the Scandinavian Death/Metal. This is something very current. Perhaps people are feeling dystopia. We know what is happening in the world. We are living in Black Mirror [série de TV]it will not be as it was. But we continue: and you react to that. ”

Therefore, Astbury anticipates: Anyone expecting only entertainment at The Cult shows will find something quite different. The singer highlighted the environment “Very open” Found in the performances of his band, due to the different audience, but pointed out: “We are not there to entertain”.

“This causes us in a very emotional way and is very serious. I don’t think what we’re doing now is fun – maybe a little. […] But if I wanted to be someone who entertains, I would have had a very different career. I never thought of it as a career, a job or something. ”

Undeniably, it is not a new behavior for The Cult. The group has reinvented itself before the public so many times that several of its decisions can be classified – shallowly – such as “anti -terminal”, but artistic integrity has never been compromised. Ian explains how, in the end, the avant -garde approach of his band:

“I always fought with everyone: producers, Billy, record labels, always insisting on making it a certain way. Why? Because that’s what we’re feeling now. They said, ‘But the last album sold 3 million copies.’ So what? We already did it. We have to live today, what is happening now. It is very difficult because, commercially, we were going against the current and became outsider. But now I think, in a way, the culture is coming to us. Even in other genres, you can see the transition to a darker, sensual or mature subject material. ”

40 years of love

Ian Astbury It made it clear early in the interview that it is not looking to promote celebrations in the past – even understanding that its work as a whole sounds cool and contemporary. An example resides in Love (1985), second studio album of The cultwhich completes 40 years of launch in October. It is from this work that comes the first hit of the group, “She Sells Sanctual”but the singer says he had specifically reconnected with another track in recent times: “Brother Wolf, Sister Moon”.

“Rick Owens (famous designer) used ‘Brother Wolf, Sister Moon’ In a fashion show and chose this song to represent Zeitgeist around the war in Ukraine. He wanted something empathic; melancholy, but optimistic. And he chose this song, which fit the mood of what he was doing as a fashion designer of the time the song was placed. I kind of fell in love with music again. It seemed that everyone was looking for a way forward, a way out, a way of evolving beyond this dystopian moment. And this song was almost a sign. ”

For Frontman, the whole work of The Cult is connected – since the Southern Death Cultproject that preceded even the Death cult. Still, he points out that Love stands out because “he has the synergy of many artistic influences”, representing “perhaps the base” of the DNA of the group.

“You can always make comparisons with Love as a disc. It was a complete moment and was done intuitively, without external influences. It was a very pure time. The band became more commercially successful, so there were more external elements, ‘forces’ trying to push us in a certain direction. And that’s when the fight started, because I denied myself. It went against labels, entrepreneurs or anyone. It didn’t seem to me right to follow the path of money, so we chose the hard way – or at least I chose the hard way and dragged them all with me. ”

Naturally, the conversation leads us to a controversial record – at least before the general public – of discography: the 1994 homonymous albumknown by the cover with a black sheep. Last released before a four -year hiatus, the work in question “destroyed the past again,” in the singer’s words.

“That’s why we did a hiatus for a few years (1995 to 1999), because when we did the namesake album in 1994 again, he destroyed the past. The archetypal elements remained because they are inside you, but you hear the eponymous album … Songs like ‘Saints Are Down’, ‘Universal You’ or ‘Black Sun’ They are very strong, but they were not commercially viable. The label didn’t know what to do. They are only used to one thing: MTV. This does not work for MTV. ”

The future of The Cult – or Death Cult?

Not Ian Astbury to listen, but in other times, the music industry would say it is time for The cult Release a new album. Three years have passed since Under the Midnight Sun (2022), conceived during Covid-19 pandemic. The mentioned revisit to the Death cult the following year generated the double single “Flesh and Bone” and “QUOTA”

Given this, the singer reinforces not having “Rigid Plans” To launch more material, whether like The Cult or Death Cult. Today studio work takes place in a conventional way, since Billy Duffy and Charlie Jones live in the United Kingdom, while Astbury and John Storm They are in Los Angeles. Even so, there are frequent conversations about new music – and, according to Ian, “Previous recordings that are already almost ready”.

“We launched ‘Flesh and Bone’ and ‘QUOTA’ As a compact, no one knew it had left. I decided they were songs from Death Cult. Now people are starting to listen and say, ‘Interesting, there’s more?’ We have some more of this period. There are plans to launch other recordings, perhaps from Death Cult, but definitely from The Cult. But a formal album in the studio? I don’t know. It can happen or not. We always talk about music. ”

Astbury showed some discouragement with the current operation of the industry – “You can do a masterpiece that disappears very fast if the algorithm doesn’t like it” – and noticed the decline of the band format over the “Individual artists recording in their rooms”. Still, it stressed that “There will be music from The Cult in 2025 in some way, just not in conventional format”. And anticipated:

“There will be an album released, perhaps in the middle of the year, which will be in conventional format: a live show. But I can’t say much more than that. You will have to wait. ”

Ian Astbury and Passion for Football

The free time of Ian Astbury It is dedicated to basically cinema, muay thai and football. Especially the last one.

Fervent fan EvertonClub that disputes Premier League (First Division of England), the singer says he has traveled the whole world to keep up with games, defines himself as “fascinated” For the culture of ultra fans – something that in Brazil would be similar to organized fans, but even more intensely – and nominally cited the names of various national teams: Palm trees, São Paulo, Botafogo (like “Botafuego”), Saints and Flemish. With a “help”, also remembered the Vasco (like “Vasco de Gama”) and Fluminense (like “fluminenze”). I couldn’t even highlight the Corinthiansbecause it was quoted by the interviewer to open the theme.

“I Regard Myself as Devotee of Everton Football Club Rather Than Just to Fan.” – Ian Astbury, 2012

STILL REPRESENTING, @officialcult. 💙 pic.twitter.com/vmctqjk09i

– Everton (@everton) Octber 26, 2024

Regarding the Breton sport, Astbury comments:

“Football is like a religion. I spend more time seeing football than going to church – since I don’t go to church. I traveled all over the world to see football. And it’s great. You can go to any country, enter any bar, restaurant, right on the street, and say the name of a soccer player. Immediately, a conversation begins. It’s amazing how this unites people. ”

For The Cult singer, there is a huge resemblance between football and music. Passion and the “Great desire to live a collective experience” They bring these two universes closer – which, in the singer’s view, Brazil knows very well.

“I have a lot of interest in Ultras’s culture. People live and breathe football, as well as music. There is a great desire to live that collective experience. This is what is great in live music. I know that the Brazilian public is very passionate about this kind of intimate meeting. My last experience seemed important, significant. ”

*The Cult performs three shows in Brazil this February. Rio de Janeiro (02/22 – Vivo Rio), Sao Paulo (23/02 – Viber) and Curitiba (25/02 – Live) receive the quartet formed by Astbury, Billy Duffy (guitar), John Tempesta (drums) and Charlie Jones (low). Baroness, a Sludge Metal -oriented sound band, will be at the opening. Tickets can be purchased at Thecult.US.

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