The Cult @ Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – Wednesday 23rd October 2013
I know very little about tonight’s support act, yet entering the venue you realise Bo Ningen can produce an immense noise which draws you into the hall to see who is responsible. The visual element adds a further level to the music, with four petite-framed, long haired Japanese musicians giving their performance everything. Bass player and vocalist, Taigen, often dances around the stage striking dynamic poses whilst bending and swaying like a willow tree in a hurricane. He is enveloped by guitarists Kohhei and Yuki who are amass of hair flowing consistently in time with the complex music. Their sound has a grooving bass line which is reminiscent of Black Sabbath whilst the guitars create experimental riffs held together by unusual timings on the drums. There is a psychedelic element to the performance that leads many to describe Bo Ningen as “acid punk” and with Taigen’s wailing vocal line, the band are able to take the listener on a trip which is amazing but not entirely comfortable. As people walk into the hall, very few leave which is credit to the band’s utter physical enthusiasm and commitment to their performance that becomes evident as their set draws to a close and Taigen is almost in the audience one minute and then leaping off the amps the next, whilst guitars are being thrown around and feedback resounding round the venue. Bo Ningen are truly unique and well worth checking out live and remind me that The Cult always take interesting artists on tour with them.
The Cult arrive on stage to perform their 1987 album Electric in its entirety, therefore starting with the simple yet effective riff of Wildflower. It takes this track for the sound levels to be rectified as Astbury’s vocals are booming out whilst it is hard to hear the instrumentation and you can see Billy Duffy becoming frustrated by his monitors. The performance of classic albums has been gaining in popularity and this is the second time The Cult have done it, the first being in 2009 when they played the album Love. The near capacity audience appear to be embracing the foreknowledge of the set list, and those right at the front feed off the energy and anticipation of the more well-known tracks such as Lil Devil and the awesome Love Removal Machine. The Cult’s cover version of Steppenwolf’s Born to be Wild is cut from the live set though and replaced with Zap City from the Manor Sessions, whilst Astbury makes an aside comment about Rick Rubin’s desire to include the song on the album. As a band, they performance is tight with Duffy’s unique guitar sound taking control, and Astbury’s vocals are noticeably better than they were last year at the O2 Academy, however, it does depend on whereabouts in the venue you are standing as to the mix you get which is hindered particularly if you are standing under the balcony. The backdrop for this show is not as elaborate as previous events; it is a screen showing a couple of images per song, predominantly Renaissance art that connects in some way to the song for example an image of Jesus being betrayed during Love Removal Machine. Memphis Hip Shake completes the album and the band leave the stage for a while whilst putting on a film that was made for the remix of Elemental Light, as they exit Astbury mutters a remark regarding their use of mirrors and tables which no one seems to respond to.
The Cult return for the second part of the show, starting with the classic Rain that sees an incredibly positive reaction from the audience which persists until the final chord of the whole set. Astbury appears to be enjoying the response, however it is hard to tell as he doesn’t remove his shades and often his speech is unclear yet he does throw his tambourine around with more vigour than a drug fuelled Stevie Nicks. Prior to Embers, Astbury begins to pace the stage and assume a Jim Morrison role muttering inaudible observations before embarking on the most atmospheric track of the evening. This part of the show includes other classic Cult tracks such as Fire and Sweet Soul Sister which fully demonstrate the writing abilities of both Astbury and Duffy and is illustrated by their most famous song She Sells Sanctuary. Apparently, the song still feels fresh to the band despite the amount of times they have played it and the crowd relish every word with most people singing and dancing regardless of how many times they have heard it. It does remind me that the last time I heard this song live was at the hands of the folk duo Smoke Fairies, who slowed the track down and added a darker element to the song which is well worth hearing if you get the opportunity. As the band leave the stage again, it does make you wonder whether they should return for an encore as the audience are on a real high but the lights remain dimmed and the band return for Horse Nation, Spiritwalker and Sun King to complete the evening. This was definitely one of the better live performances by The Cult that I have seen in recent years, however it is tainted by Astbury’s arrogant waffle and refusal to take off his shades and engage with the audience but then again he has always played the rock star and in many ways he is damn good at it.
Review by Toni Woodward