The Cult’s Ian Astbury in 2011. Credit: Teresa Sedó, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Following a few hiatuses, original members Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy still believe in The Cult, which plays Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg on Thursday.

The hard-rock group is currently recording new music that will hopefully emerge in time for its impending 40th anniversary. And this summer, The Cult returns home to the U.K. to perform co-headlining shows with Alice Cooper himself. Sure, it’s only a handful of dates, but how can you say no to the king of shock rock?

Before the big flight, the band warms up with U.S. dates, including this one, the band’s first in Tampa Bay since a gig at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre alongside Bush and a post-Weiland Stone Temple Pilots.

This article appears in Apr 14-20, 2022.

Josh Bradley is Creative Loafing Tampa's resident live music freak. He started freelancing with the paper in 2020 at the age of 18, and has since covered, announced, and previewed numerous live shows in...