Southern Death Cult
Encyclopedia
Southern Death Cult was an English positive punk (the precursory term for gothic rock
) band in the early 1980s. It is now primarily known for having given its lead singer and parts of its name to the multi-platinum hard rock
supergroup
The Cult
. Despite the similarities in the names, "Southern Death Cult" was distinct from "Death Cult"/"The Cult."
punk
band Violation. In place at that time were Aki Nawaz
(drum
s), Barry Jepson (bass
), Mick (guitar
) and Mick Brady (vocals
). Songs in their set included "Boys in Blue" and "Assault & Battery". This line-up supported The Clash
at Bradford's St. George's Hall in 1980.
In 1981, Ian Astbury
had moved into a new house in Bradford and reportedly discovered a band rehearsing in the cellar. Astbury (under the name "Ian Lindsay") started performing alongside David Burrows (guitar), bassist Jepson and drummer Haq Qureshi (a.k.a. Aki Nawaz), and renamed the band Southern Death Cult, the traditional name of the Native American
culture known today technically as the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
.
The Southern Death Cult's first ever performance was at the Queen's Hall in Bradford, England, on 29 October 1981. The setlist the band played was: "Crow", "The Girl", "Apache", "Vivisection", "Moya" and "The Crypt", with a bootleg
recording of that show in circulation. A sixth song was sometimes referred to as "War Song", but its real title is unknown, although it used lyrics which later became The Cult's 'Spiritwalker'. The band never played it after 1981.
Southern Death Cult toured heavily in the UK promoting its triple A-side single "Moya/Fatman/The Girl", which had gone to #1 on the UK Indie Chart
. The band toured with Theatre of Hate
, and then succeeded in getting a slot opening for Bauhaus
at the end of 1982, but Astbury disbanded the group after a show on 26 February 1983.
Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy
(of The Nosebleeds
and Theatre of Hate) came together later in April 1983 to form a supergroup
, with a similar name, first called Death Cult and then, after releasing a four song EP and a single, The Cult
. The other members of Southern Death Cult formed Getting the Fear
. Later they changed their name to Into A Circle
. Qureshi went on to form the political, Islamic hip hop group Fun-Da-Mental
and create the label Nation Records
.
Southern Death Cult's singles, demos, and some live recordings were later collected onto a ten song compilation album
by Beggars Banquet
, entitled Southern Death Cult. The vinyl version was released in a dozen countries after The Cult's popularity grew in the 1980s. An early ten song CD version was released in 1987 in Japan. It was issued on CD in 1988 with five bonus tracks, and then remastered and reissued on CD again in 1996. The songwriting credits to "A Flower in the Desert", off of The Cult's Dreamtime album, are from the Southern Death Cult line-up which was originally titled "Flowers in the Forest" – a credit which is sometimes omitted from the various pressings of the 1984 album.
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
) band in the early 1980s. It is now primarily known for having given its lead singer and parts of its name to the multi-platinum hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
The Cult
The Cult
The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
. Despite the similarities in the names, "Southern Death Cult" was distinct from "Death Cult"/"The Cult."
History
Southern Death Cult emerged from the ashes of BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
punk
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 Violation. In place at that time were Aki Nawaz
Aki Nawaz
Aki Nawaz also known as Aki-Stani, Righteous Preacher and Propa-Gandhi, is a British singer and musician and part of the band Fun-Da-Mental. He is best known for his controversial lyrics.-Profile:...
(drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s), Barry Jepson (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Mick (guitar
Guitar
The 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...
) and Mick Brady (vocals
Singing
Singing 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...
). Songs in their set included "Boys in Blue" and "Assault & Battery". This line-up supported The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
at Bradford's St. George's Hall in 1980.
In 1981, Ian Astbury
Ian Astbury
Ian Astbury is an English rock musician and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist for the rock band, The Cult.-Pre-Cult:...
had moved into a new house in Bradford and reportedly discovered a band rehearsing in the cellar. Astbury (under the name "Ian Lindsay") started performing alongside David Burrows (guitar), bassist Jepson and drummer Haq Qureshi (a.k.a. Aki Nawaz), and renamed the band Southern Death Cult, the traditional name of the Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
culture known today technically as the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex is the name given to the regional stylistic similarity of artifacts, iconography, ceremonies, and mythology of the Mississippian culture that coincided with their adoption of maize agriculture and chiefdom-level complex social organization from...
.
The Southern Death Cult's first ever performance was at the Queen's Hall in Bradford, England, on 29 October 1981. The setlist the band played was: "Crow", "The Girl", "Apache", "Vivisection", "Moya" and "The Crypt", with a bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
recording of that show in circulation. A sixth song was sometimes referred to as "War Song", but its real title is unknown, although it used lyrics which later became The Cult's 'Spiritwalker'. The band never played it after 1981.
Southern Death Cult toured heavily in the UK promoting its triple A-side single "Moya/Fatman/The Girl", which had gone to #1 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...
. The band toured with Theatre of Hate
Theatre of Hate
Theatre of Hate were a post-punk band formed in Britain in 1980.Led by singer-songwriter and ex-member of punk band The Pack, Kirk Brandon, the original group also consisted of: guitarist Steve Guthrie, bassist Stan Stammers , saxophonist John Lennard and drummer Luke Rendle from Crisis/The...
, and then succeeded in getting a slot opening for Bauhaus
Bauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
at the end of 1982, but Astbury disbanded the group after a show on 26 February 1983.
Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy
Billy Duffy
Billy Duffy is an English guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist in The Cult.-Early days:He grew up in Manchester, where he began playing guitar at the age of fourteen...
(of The Nosebleeds
The Nosebleeds
The Nosebleeds was a short-lived punk band formed in Wythenshawe, Manchester, England in 1976. Though the band never recorded an album and released just one single, it is well known in modern rock history for the later successes of its individual members...
and Theatre of Hate) came together later in April 1983 to form a supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
, with a similar name, first called Death Cult and then, after releasing a four song EP and a single, The Cult
The Cult
The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
. The other members of Southern Death Cult formed Getting the Fear
Getting the Fear
Getting the Fear were an English gothic rock musical ensemble of the 1980s. Its members were Barry , Buzz , Aki Nawaz , and Bee...
. Later they changed their name to Into A Circle
Into a Circle
Into A Circle were an English New Wave/Goth duo, formed in April 1985 by Bee and Barry , two former members of Getting the Fear.-Career:...
. Qureshi went on to form the political, Islamic hip hop group Fun-Da-Mental
Fun-Da-Mental
Fun-Da-Mental is a British-based multi-ethnic hip-hop–ethno-techno–world fusion music group formed in 1991. The group is notable for its energetic fusion of Eastern and Western musical forms, for its outspoken political stance, and for its strong Islamic affiliation and advocacy. Fun-Da-Mental's...
and create the label Nation Records
Nation Records
Nation Records is a record label set up by Kath Canoville and Aki Nawaz in 1988.-History:The label was set up after major labels declined to release their fusion of world music and dance music, an album called Fuse...
.
Southern Death Cult's singles, demos, and some live recordings were later collected onto a ten song compilation 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...
by Beggars Banquet
Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
, entitled Southern Death Cult. The vinyl version was released in a dozen countries after The Cult's popularity grew in the 1980s. An early ten song CD version was released in 1987 in Japan. It was issued on CD in 1988 with five bonus tracks, and then remastered and reissued on CD again in 1996. The songwriting credits to "A Flower in the Desert", off of The Cult's Dreamtime album, are from the Southern Death Cult line-up which was originally titled "Flowers in the Forest" – a credit which is sometimes omitted from the various pressings of the 1984 album.
Discography
- "The Southern Death CultThe Southern Death Cult (1982 single)"The Southern Death Cult" is a triple A-side single released by the group The Southern Death Cult.This single is often erroneously referred to as "Fatman/Moya/The Girl" [after the triple A-side tracks]. In reality the single is simply titled "The Southern Death Cult".The single was released in the...
" (1982) 7" single - "The Southern Death Cult" (1983) 12" single
- The Southern Death CultSouthern Death Cult (album)A collection of studio outtakes, demos and live recordings by Southern Death Cult.-1983 Release:The first release of the compilation album The Southern Death Cult was issued by Beggars Banquet Records in 1983. It was released in the United Kingdom in LP [catalogue number BEGA 46] and cassette...
(1983) - compilation albumCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...