Selinas, Sydney, Australia 
Opening Bands: Nicrosis, Front End Loader
Already receiving rave reviews for their Big Day Out performances, The Cult were
due to front up to Selinas in the Sydney suburb of Coogee. Supported by local
rock bands Nicrosis and Front End Loader, everything was set for a huge night of
entertainment.
A week earlier I was stoked to discover a mate of mine and fellow Cult freak had
scored me a VIP pass to the show but due to circumstances beyond our control, I
was shattered to discover that the ticket was unavailable. After a lot of
searching, we managed to find a regular ticket. They were $25; a bargain at double
the price. Once in the venue, I was able to sneak into the VIP area through
borrowing my mate's VIP pass and we scored a prime viewing position on the balcony
directly above the stage.
We missed Nicrosis but arrived half way through Front End Loader's set who played
well but it was The Cult everyone had come to see. At around 11:30 pm the lights
dimmed and the pre-gig music came on. It sounded similar to the music The Cult
used on the "Love" tour. Then it happened. Years of anticipation finally came to
a climax as Duffy and co. entered the stage and launched into the opening of
"Nirvana." Ian ran on wearing sunnies, black jeans and a white shirt with the British
Royal Air Force (RAF) symbol on it. The new rhythm guitarist wore a shirt which said
"Chaos," which I thought was rather apt as the extra recruitment for the "Electric"
tour was Kid Chaos.
Nirvana went off and already the crowd was moshing. Next song was Lil' Devil
and the crowd responded appropriately to this classic tune, stomping till the walls
shook. Coming Down and The Witch followed but they somehow lacked something in
the live situation. Billy appeared frustrated with the sound of his guitar so that
may have been the reason. "Love" sounded incredible, Billy's white Gretsch echoing
clearly through the confined walls. "Not bad for a bunch of pommies," Ian said as
the song finished.
It was around this time where Ian's tambourine began falling apart. Ian solved this
problem, however, by breaking it into three pieces and another was soon replaced by
a roadie.
Edie (Ciao Baby) was next and the crowd went wild. Ian sang beautifully and at
that point he was really starting to warm up. Ian looked really happy and was making
no attempt to hide his enthusiasm. Dancing around the stage with reckless abandon,
some of Ian's antics included standing on Scott's bass drum and placing his foot on
the snare drum. Scott responded to this by using Ian's leg as a cymbal. Ian also
walked out of view of the crowd and gave a roadie a quick sing and later pulled one
of the roadie's pants down.
Billy, on the other hand, looked a bit frustrated, often shaking his head and having
long talks with the sound blokes. He was not having a good night and got more pissed
off when the lighting guy shined the spotlight in his face.
Despite Billy's sound problems, the show continued with Rain and Black Sun, both
sounding excellent. Fire Woman was next and transformed the building into a
swarming mass of humanity, Astbury relishing the crowd behavior. This was when
Billy's sound difficulties became noticeable because when he played the section of the
song where the temp slows down, it sounded terrible.
"Star" glowed and Ian introduced the song as the next single. It was well received
by the crowd and Ian tripped over the mike stand consequently squeezing a smile out
of Billy. "Wild Flower" had the place shaking and Sun King and Love Removal
Machine was absolutely brilliant.
Suddenly, The Cult were offstage but we didn't have long to wait before the band
returned and flowed into one of my favorite songs off the new album - Sacred Life.
It was now that Ian surprised us all when midway through the song he climbed a stack
of Marshalls and climbed onto the balcony only metres from where I was standing. He
sang the rest of the song to a girl and jumped back into the crowd and the audience
surfed him back to the stage. It was wild to see and you can see why Ian enjoys
playing in more intimate venues.
She Sells Sanctuary was next and didn't disappoint. You could see Ian had the
audience in the palm of his hand and soon everyone was clapping along with
Ian's encouragement. Ian, having removed his shirt during his recent escapades, came
on for the final song wearing a shirt that said, "Only Anarchists Are Pretty."
They then played Earth Mofo. Next thing, I looked up and Billy and the boys were
gone. Ian thanked the audience and said, "See you tomorrow"
referring to their next git at the Sydney Big Day Out.
After the set I scored two drumsticks and Ian's songlist and left the venue in a
state of euphoria as I had just seen the best concert
of my life. I have watched The Cult countless times on video but Ian's charismatic
stage presence does not show on celluloid. Yep, there's nothing like the real thing.
Brett Pickup
Setlist:
Nirvana
Lil' Devil
Coming Down
The Witch
Love
Edie (Ciao Baby)
Rain
Black Sun
Fire Woman
Star
Wild Flower
Sun King
Love Removal Machine
Encore
Sacred Life
She Sells Sanctuary
Earth Mofo