Early career In 1980, Astbury was in Liverpool, where he was active on the punk scene based around
Eric's Club. He moved to Bradford in late 1980, and by 1981 he helped found the
post-punk band
Southern Death Cult, which lasted until March 1983. Along with guitarist
Billy Duffy, bassist
Jamie Stewart and drummer Raymond Taylor Smith, Astbury formed a new band, Death Cult, and released the
Death Cult extended play (EP). To help broaden their appeal, the band changed its name to "
the Cult" in January 1984 before appearing on the
Channel 4 television show,
The Tube. The Cult's debut studio album,
Dreamtime, was released in 1984, followed by
Love in 1985.
Love featured the single "
She Sells Sanctuary", which introduced the band to an international audience. Many songs of these early albums focus on
Native American themes, a particular interest of Astbury's. On their third studio album,
Electric (1987), the Cult made a transformation to a
hard rock sound with the help of producer
Rick Rubin. After the release of the 1989 studio album
Sonic Temple and the single "
Fire Woman", Astbury relocated to Los Angeles, California, US.
1990s In 1994, the Cult returned with an
eponymous studio album and a musical change of pace. Their hard rock sound was gone, as a result of Astbury's growing interest in alternative music, fashion and introspective lyrics. Although the album produced two singles ("Coming Down" and "Star"), it was not a commercial success. They toured to support the album, but in Brazil creative differences with guitarist Duffy reached their nadir, which resulted in him leaving the band. Astbury soon assembled another group of musicians and began writing new songs. He called the band
Holy Barbarians, and in 1996 the band released the studio album
Cream, which was not a commercial success. The band appeared at the small Tunbridge Wells Forum, where
Vic Reeves joined the band onstage for a rendition of "Wildflower". Personal difficulties and a drive for further introspection drove Astbury away from his new group, and he began working on a solo studio album, eventually released as
Spirit/Light/Speed in 2000. In 1999, Astbury and Duffy reformed the Cult. The band signed a new
recording contract with
Atlantic Records, and in 2001
Beyond Good and Evil was released. The band initially enjoyed radio success with the single "Rise", until a falling out with Atlantic, which ended all commercial promotions and radio play for the album. Disillusioned by the fight with the
record label, Astbury brought the Cult to another hiatus in 2002.
2000–present Astbury became lead vocalist of
the Doors of the 21st Century in 2002. The group featured original Doors members
Robby Krieger and
Ray Manzarek. In 2003, Astbury performed with the surviving members of
MC5 at the
100 Club in London. He re-formed the Cult with Duffy in 2006, for a series of live shows. In 2009, the band embarked on a tour with shows across Canada, the US, and various countries in Europe where they performed their 1985 studio album
Love in its entirety. On 29 May 2010, the Japanese band
Boris performed "The End" with Ian Astbury at Vivid Festival in Sydney. Boris and Astbury released a four-song EP in September 2010 on Southern Lord and Daymare Records, containing four tracks entitled "Teeth and Claws," "We are Witches," "Rain" and "Magickal Child."
Other musical ventures Astbury is featured on the
UNKLE tracks "Burn My Shadow", "When Things Explode" and "Forever." He also sings "Flame On" on
Black Sabbath lead guitarist
Tony Iommi's debut solo studio album
Iommi (2000), and recorded a duet with
Debbie Harry on her 1989 solo studio album
Def, Dumb and Blonde, called "Lovelight". In 2010, he provided the vocals for the song "Ghost" on guitarist
Slash's
self-titled solo studio album. The track also featured former
Guns N' Roses guitarist
Izzy Stradlin on rhythm guitar. Astbury is also credited for playing the drums on a track called "Gasp" by Japanese Cartoon. ==Personal life==