In a new chat with Barbara Caserta of Italy’s Linea Rock, The Cult frontman Ian Astbury said they are getting better and more energetic as time goes on.
The singer reflected on their upcoming tour to celebrate the band’s 40th anniversary:
“We’re in a renaissance. It’s like we set the clock. Nobody told us we could do that. That’s not in many bands’ playbooks. They just keep going and then they get to greatest hits and then they get fat and old and die or whatever.”
Astbury also talked about his personal journey of recovery and hard work after hip surgery:
“For us, it’s different. We’re like Benjamin Button. I train Muay Thai [Thai boxing]. I fight, I spar. I put on a lot of weight one time when I had a hip surgery. It was very difficult, very depressing. And then I had to fight like a revenant to get back in the room, and I worked really hard, and it took a lot.”
Astbury Is Satisfied With Their Last Work
The singer is also proud of The Cult’s latest album, ‘Under the Midnight Sun,’ which arrived in October 2022. He previously said Germany’s Rock Antenne:
“If you’re a fan of rock music, our new record’s essential. I don’t think there are any recent releases of rock music that comes close to ‘Under the Midnight Sun.’ And to say that, it may sound like an arrogant statement, but I’m tired of this bullsh*t. Stop it. Stop phoning it in. Stop exploiting your fans. Stop patronizing your fans. And stop calling them fans. They’re your benefactors. Our audience is our benefactors.”
He added the following about the record:
“I have such incredible gratitude and respect to people who would actually pay their hard-earned money to walk through a door, buy a record, come to a show, buy a t-shirt. Are you kidding? I was one; I am one. I appreciate that. I appreciate them. And that’s why we made this record because we wanted it to be the best of the best of the best. It’s a gift. Yeah, you’ve gotta pay for it. But I’m sorry, that’s… it’s society.”
The group’s 40th-anniversary tour starts in July in Europe, then goes to Canada, and finally returns to the U.K. They will perform in Madrid on July 12. Later, they will also have shows in Portugal, Austria, Croatia, Italy, Poland and Germany.
You can listen to the rest of Astbury’s interview below.