Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane
Wednesday November 23, 2016 :
It has been more than 21 years since I witnessed the Cult conquer the main stage at the Big Day Out in Sydney. Last Wednesday saw me trekking over 2 hours to the comparably modest Eatons Hill Hotel in Brisbane’s northern suburbs to see what, if anything, had changed for the legendary UK heavy rockers.
Opening act, The Art, hailing from Sydney were perfect curtain raisers offering a sexy saunter of heavy riffs and fills laced with breathy lyrics. Not many bands attempt this style and for good reason, it requires a je ne sais quois few possess. That said I felt that lead singer Azaria was reaching in the lower registers and but for the graceful voice of bassist, co founder Kara on backups, some moments would have been indeed left wanting. Lead guitarist Max and Drummer Jordan were both clearly hand selected for their notable aplomb as they showcased their sizable talents to an increasingly impressed crowd.
Enter The Cult to rapturous applause from a noticeably mature crowd clearly stoked to be out on a school night and enjoying a few not so quiet ones. The lads opened up with ‘Wildflower’ and the crowd raised their drinks in approval. Next came chart topping ‘Rain’, the gents then rolled through a few more classics mixed in with tracks from their impressive new release, Hidden City, which is a must listen for fans of the genre, staying true to the classic style and sound yet artfully imbibing modern sonic shifts and developments in production, the latest LP has a handful of great standout tracks.
Mr Astbury, ever the watchful frontman, did his best to awaken sections of an, at times, dozy crowd who it must be said were tragically not well versed on the latest material. The few of us who were familiar surged along with the captivating ‘Deeply Ordered Chaos’ as Ian’s lush vocals drenched us in a richness few possess.
The last act was predominantly a hit parade with original axeman Billy Duffy showcasing his much vaunted talents as he shredded out some of the most memorable breaks of my formative years that despite his obvious gestures toward his engineer, sounded superb. All players seemed on point with new bassist Grant Fitzpatrick and keys/rhythm ace Damon Fox both nailing it from where I was standing near the sound desk. Honourable mention for skins journeyman, John JT Tempesta, for a perfect night in the engine room, understated and flawless with glimpses of brilliance proving once more why he is spoken of in such high regard by so many.
‘Sweet Soul Sister’, ‘She Sells Sanctuary’, ‘Firewoman’ and ‘Love Removal Machine’ all getting a guernesy as an enraptured crowd came back to life in what was, at times, in full voice. As the encore faded out and the many shuffled towards the door whilst texting their baby sitters, I couldn’t help but think that the whole show deserved to be seen by 10000 sweaty ratbags in the middle of January. Hell knows the boys still have it in them.
Godspeed The Cult, make it happen.
Reviewer and Photographer : Quenched
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