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27 Flowers in the Forest

Southern Death Cult
  • John Robb
View more publications by Manchester University Press
The art of darkness
This chapter is in the book The art of darkness

Abstract

Bradford-based Southern Death Cult were a short-lived but unforgettable feature of the UK rock scene in the early 1980s. Their combination of Native American philosophy and dark, euphoric post-punk was powered by tribal beats, spectral guitar and driving bass lines. They were natural successors to the underground throne vacated by Adam Ant, but no sooner had they made their presence felt than frontman Ian Astbury dissolved the group. From the ashes rose a new band, The Cult, which ultimately ditched its predecessor’s goth style for a more mainstream take on rock’n’roll.

Abstract

Bradford-based Southern Death Cult were a short-lived but unforgettable feature of the UK rock scene in the early 1980s. Their combination of Native American philosophy and dark, euphoric post-punk was powered by tribal beats, spectral guitar and driving bass lines. They were natural successors to the underground throne vacated by Adam Ant, but no sooner had they made their presence felt than frontman Ian Astbury dissolved the group. From the ashes rose a new band, The Cult, which ultimately ditched its predecessor’s goth style for a more mainstream take on rock’n’roll.

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