The Cult

Our guest this week is Ian Astbury of The Cult.

The band just released Hidden City, which marks their 10th studio release in a career that now spans over three decades. It is the third and final part of a trilogy of releases that began in 2007 with the release of the Born Into This album and was followed in 2012 by the Choice of Weapon album.

They’ve worked with a total of three different producers on the three albums. They worked initially with Youth on the Born Into This album and then moved on to work with Chris Goss of Masters of Reality for Choice of Weapon. By the time that album was completed, a familiar name had come back around as Bob Rock came in to finish up the album sessions.

That brings us to this new Hidden City album, one which finds the band once again working with Bob Rock. The Cult’s relationship with Rock goes way back — he produced their landmark Sonic Temple release and this marks the fifth Cult album he’s been associated with.

Author D.X. Ferris joined me to co-host this chat with Ian. We speak with Ian Astbury about the group’s relationship with Bob and what he brings to the table. He also discusses their earlier work with Rick Rubin and the groundbreaking Gathering of the Tribes concert that he put together with Bill Graham.

For longtime Cult fans, the new Hidden City album will be a welcome arrival. It sounds like a Cult record and the songwriting and performances from the group, which still features Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy as the main creative drivers, are solid.

The band is out on the road starting this week for the start of their Alive in the Hidden City North American tour. They’ll play two months worth of dates on this initial run which is currently set to wrap up in mid-April.

Our thanks to Ian for the time. Check out the new Cult album Hidden City and if they’re coming to your town, go see a show. You can visit the band online at thecult.us.

Visit the Lost Together website for an archive of all of the episodes to date. You can also subscribe using RSS or iTunes. Follow Lost Together on Facebook and Twitter or email us directly with your thoughts.

Enjoy!

Lost Together with Matt Wardlaw, Episode 11: Ian Astbury

Photo Credit: The Awareness Group

About the Author

Matt Wardlaw

Matt Wardlaw is a music lifer with nearly 20 years of experience in the industry. Of course you all have shoes older than that, but that's okay, Matt realizes that he's still a rookie. His byline has appeared in the Riverfront Times (St. Louis), Cleveland Scene, Blogcritics, Music's Bottom Line and Ultimate Classic Rock, among others. In addition to writing for Popdose, Matt also has his own music blog called Addicted to Vinyl where he writes about a variety of subjects including but not limited to vinyl. In his spare time, Matt enjoys long walks in the park, Cherone-era Van Halen and driving long distances to Night Ranger concerts.

View All Articles