THE CULT CELEBRATE ‘SONIC TEMPLE’ ANNIVERSARY

The Cult are to mark the 30th anniversary of the ‘Sonic Temple’ album by both reissuing it and also by touring.

The album is to be re-released by Beggars Arkive on September 13. This will come as a box set with three pieces of vinyl and a cassette plus tour memorabilia and ephemera (replica of original laminate, backstage pass, original press releases, label copy and more). It’s numbered and limited to 3000 pieces worldwide and contains 40 tracks, four of which are previously unreleased. LP1+2 contain the album as originally released. LP3 contains ‘Live At Wembley’ recorded by the BBC, and the cassette contains limited-release demos. Four of the live tracks are previously unreleased.

There will also be a five CD version. This will have 53 tracks (including six previously unreleased) with the original album on disc one, alternate edits, mixes, extended versions and acoustic versions on disc two, limited-release demos on discs three and four and, ‘Live at Wembley’ on disc five. Six of the live tracks are previously unreleased. It is packaged in book form with rare photographs and interviews with the band by UK journalist James Brown.

There are also to be a double LP and digital versions.

The Cult are to start a UK tour at Nottingham Rock City on October 15, before heading to Birmingham O2 Academy 17, Cardiff University 18, Leeds O2 Academy 20, Aberdeen Music Hall 21, Glasgow O2 Academy 22, Manchester Apollo 24, London Eventime Apollo 27, Bristol O2 Academy 28, Portsmouth Guildhall.

Tickets go on sale from July 5.

Talking about the album, frontman Ian Astbury says: “We wanted to retain our core DNA as we went deeper into psych and hard rock influences. It was a complete immersion for me into art, film, music, poetry and literature, weaving those influences into what was to become ‘Sonic Temple’. The band were becoming more popular. We were in uncharted waters. Most of the bands we had come up with had split up or fallen off. We were accelerating. There was no real time to breathe. We were forming new allegiances and breaking the glass ceiling of ‘the indie outsider.’”