The Cult

When they released their debut album Dreamtime in 1984, The Cult were gothic post-punks with an indie following and a penchant for the occult.; within a few years, the Bradford band would become one of the classic hard rock titans of the decade. Formed in West Yorkshire, the band came from the ashes of Southern Death Cult, a goth rock band fronted by Ian Astbury that enjoyed modest success in the early 80s. Astbury then formed Death Cult, joining forces with guitarist Billy Duffy, bassist Jamie Stewart and drummer Ray Mondo. In 1984, with an EP to their name and a new drummer Nigel Preston, the band name shortened once more to The Cult to let go of their gothic associations, though their debut album released later that year would still focus around shamanistic themes and delve into the mythologies of Native American and Aboriginal Australian mythologies.