Cult Maniax
Encyclopedia
The Cult Maniax are an English punk rock
band, that formed in Great Torrington
, Devon
in 1978. They had three indie hits in the mid-1980s before splitting up, although they reformed in the 1990s for occasional performances.
Their first release, the "Black Horse" EP
attracted newspaper headlines in 1982. The Black Horse was, and still is, a public house
in Torrington
. The lyrics of the title track "Black Horse" (written by Alan "Big Al" Mitchell) expressed his dissatisfaction at the landlord's attitude to the punk generation. The band sold 200 copies of the single before a court case forced them to hand over the master copies and destroy all remaining copies. Some further copies were sold with the offending track scratched out. The original single can often be found on auction sites attracting prices in the region of £50 for a mint copy. Soon after the release of the "Frenzie" EP Sargeant left the band.
To take the guitar spot the band brought in Paul Bennett, and worked on the release of the follow-up, "Blitz", released on their own Elephant Rock label, which sold over 20,000 copies before it was also banned due to the B-side
"Lucy Looe"'s references to oral sex
. The band's only album, Cold Love, was released in 1983 by American Phonograph, and was mixed without the band's involvement. More successful was their 1984 EP Full of Spunk, which spent three months on the UK Indie Chart
, peaking at number 11. Further success followed with "The Amazine Adventures of Johnny the Duck" and the Where Do We All Go? live EP, but the band had run out of ideas and split up in 1986. The band (apart from Sargeant) reunited in 1987 under the name The Vibe Tribe, releasing the "Skylark Boogie" single, but this was short-lived.
The band reunited again (apart from Sargeant) for a performance at the first (now annual) Punx Picnic held in Plymouth
, in September 1996, and they continued to perform occasional gigs
. In their recording career they released four singles
, one album
and two 12 inch singles. A CD of one of their performances at the Adam And Eves Club in Leeds was issued after they disbanded. The band briefly existed as the Vibe Tribe releasing one single. Big Al and Mil went onto form a band called the Sweet Thangs which released an EP
. Big Al can still be seen 2006 in a duet called Free Born Men. Mil has kept his hand in playing in numerous bands, most notably The Desperate Men With Jez Evans (Electric Orange) and Shaun Collingham (Naked I), who both also appeared with the rest of the Cult Maniax (apart from Sargeant and Steer) in several reformation gigs. Mil can presently be found playing the drums in a four piece called Blow.
Mitchell is now the Town cryer in Torrington.
Past members
Live albums
Extended plays
Singles
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band, that formed in Great Torrington
Great Torrington
Great Torrington is a small market town in the north of Devon, England. Parts of it are sited on high ground with steep drops down to the River Torridge below...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
in 1978. They had three indie hits in the mid-1980s before splitting up, although they reformed in the 1990s for occasional performances.
History
The name is derived from them being the Cult and their fans being the Maniax. Their first live performance was at the school Riko Sargeant, Foxy Steer, and Mildew Mules attended. Other gigs followed, and the band started to get a large following.Their first release, the "Black Horse" EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
attracted newspaper headlines in 1982. The Black Horse was, and still is, a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in Torrington
Torrington
-People:* Jeff Torrington, Scottish writer* George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, British naval officer and statesman-Places:In Australia:* Torrington, New South WalesIn Canada:* Torrington, AlbertaIn the United Kingdom:...
. The lyrics of the title track "Black Horse" (written by Alan "Big Al" Mitchell) expressed his dissatisfaction at the landlord's attitude to the punk generation. The band sold 200 copies of the single before a court case forced them to hand over the master copies and destroy all remaining copies. Some further copies were sold with the offending track scratched out. The original single can often be found on auction sites attracting prices in the region of £50 for a mint copy. Soon after the release of the "Frenzie" EP Sargeant left the band.
To take the guitar spot the band brought in Paul Bennett, and worked on the release of the follow-up, "Blitz", released on their own Elephant Rock label, which sold over 20,000 copies before it was also banned due to the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
"Lucy Looe"'s references to oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
. The band's only album, Cold Love, was released in 1983 by American Phonograph, and was mixed without the band's involvement. More successful was their 1984 EP Full of Spunk, which spent three months on the UK Indie Chart
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
, peaking at number 11. Further success followed with "The Amazine Adventures of Johnny the Duck" and the Where Do We All Go? live EP, but the band had run out of ideas and split up in 1986. The band (apart from Sargeant) reunited in 1987 under the name The Vibe Tribe, releasing the "Skylark Boogie" single, but this was short-lived.
The band reunited again (apart from Sargeant) for a performance at the first (now annual) Punx Picnic held in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, in September 1996, and they continued to perform occasional gigs
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
. In their recording career they released four singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, one album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
and two 12 inch singles. A CD of one of their performances at the Adam And Eves Club in Leeds was issued after they disbanded. The band briefly existed as the Vibe Tribe releasing one single. Big Al and Mil went onto form a band called the Sweet Thangs which released an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
. Big Al can still be seen 2006 in a duet called Free Born Men. Mil has kept his hand in playing in numerous bands, most notably The Desperate Men With Jez Evans (Electric Orange) and Shaun Collingham (Naked I), who both also appeared with the rest of the Cult Maniax (apart from Sargeant and Steer) in several reformation gigs. Mil can presently be found playing the drums in a four piece called Blow.
Mitchell is now the Town cryer in Torrington.
Band members
Current members- Alan "Big Al" Mitchell – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Paul Bennett – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Foxy Steer – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Mildew Mules – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Past members
- Riko Sargeant – guitar (Frenzie EP)
Discography
Studio albums- Cold Love (American Phonograph, 1983)
Live albums
- Live at Adam and Eve's (Retch, 1997)
Extended plays
- Frenzie (Next Wave, 1981)
- Black Horse (Next Wave, 1981)
- The Black Mass (Elephant Rock, 1982)
- Full of Spunk (Xcentric Noise, 1984) UK IndieUK Indie ChartThe UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
#11
Singles
- "Blitz" (Elephant Rock, 1982)
- "American Dream" (Elephant Rock, 1982)
- "Cold Love" (American Phonograph, 1984)
- "The Amazing Adventures of Johnny the Duck and the Bath Time Blues" (Xcentric Noise, 1984) UK Indie #11
- "Where Do We All Go?" (Xcentric Noise, 1984) UK Indie #12