The Cult

The band's origins can be traced back to 1981, in Bradford, Yorkshire, where singer/songwriter, Ian Astbury, formed Southern Death Cult. The band name was derived from the 14th century Native American religion, The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex. In 1983, Astbury met the guitarist, Billy Duffy, who had previously been a member of The Nosebleeds alongside Morrissey (who later fronted The Smiths). Astbury and Duffy formed Death Cult, which was later shortened to The Cult. In our interview, Astbury told us Duffy's personality perfectly compliments his: "I think one thing that Billy gives me is he grounds me - he's a very pragmatic person."

The Cult first achieved mainstream success in 1985, when they released "She Sells Sanctuary," taken from their second album, Love. The song peaked at #15 in the UK and spent 23 weeks in the Top 100. In February 2012, "She Sells Sanctuary" was mashed with Flo Rida's "Good Feeling" for a Budweiser commercial that aired during the Super Bowl XLVI.

In 1986, The Cult started work on their third album, Peace. However, the band scrapped the record after growing unhappy with its sound. The band then decided to leave England for New York, where they met the producer, Rick Rubin, who helped popularize hip-hop, having produced key albums by Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and Run-D.M.C. Rubin convinced The Cult to re-record Peace and rename it Electric. Astbury spoke to us about the experience of working with Rubin: "Rick was very much about stripping it back to raw basics. He knew that we were young guys who were pretty fired up, full of adrenaline, and we were pretty raw... Rick really loved that energy we had, and he said, 'That's what you should be doing. Just be what you are.' He knew that we wanted to get away from the kind of postmodern, English scene, which had become this level of elitism - a postmodern crowd that looks down upon blue collar music. Rock and hard rock were considered to be a low form." Electric was a commercial success, peaking at #4 in the UK following its release in 1987. The original Peace album, meanwhile, would remain unheard until 2000, when it was included in the Rare Cult box set.