Riding the crest of a wave at the moment, there seems to be a newfound appreciation for goth/postpunk legends The Cult. Having supported Alice Cooper in this very arena a few years ago, Billy Duffy and Ian Astbury return to the Swansea Arena as headliners having already conquered Cardiff a year ago with a memorable gig at Cardiff Castle. They’ve also got a bit of celebrating to do as their debut album Dreamtime turns 40 this year and that’s exactly what this show is all about.

Dubbed the 8424 tour, the band are here to commemorate that seminal release with a few thousand Welsh people. There’s no fancy backdrop, and the stage set only has the instruments on it, suggesting a band without a need for tired rock show clichés who, instead, will enter the fray armed only with the tools of their trade and a set of kickass songs. The first of those is In The Clouds and immediately you get the impression that guitarist Billy Duffy plans on melting faces tonight.
A small brawl then breaks out in the audience, forcing the very chilled Astbury to intervene and remind them this is a celebration. The cutting riff to Rise chugs in next, reminding everybody that they have plenty of good tunes outside of the 1980s and Sweet Soul Sister is given the ovation that such a rock anthem deserves, with the guys adding a snippet of the Manics’ Motorcycle Emptiness for the local pop. Equally, Fire Woman and Rain are greeted like old friends, and find Astbury in fine vocal form. So many vocalists of his time are losing the power that their voices once had, but Astbury’s soulful Jim Morrison-esque tones are as good as ever.
Spiritwalker, the standout track from their celebrated debut, is up next, then it’s into the epic Love Removal Machine. They return to the stage with the sombre Brother Wolf, Sister Moon, which takes us – of course! – to the song The Cult are probably best known for, the iconic She Sells Sanctuary.

They look like a band without a care in the world and they play that way too, as a great night of rock comes to an end. Certainly, The Cult are a group fully aware of their status in the music business of 2024, and whilst they may not be topping charts anytime soon, they will continue to provide fantastic nights like this.
The Cult, Swansea Arena, Tue 22 Oct
words CHRIS ANDREWS photos ANTHONY JAMES